


Secret Santa

by sleepyscoops



Series: Happy Holidays [3]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Party, Christmas Presents, Christmas Tree, Fluff, Frozen (Disney Movies) References, Happy Ending, M/M, bc i watched the movie and can't seem to let it go, boogyu being.. boogyu hehe, dongsaeng line being precious bubs, established jicheol, happy holidays i guess, new fic why me, snwu idiots, technically a continuation from last year's series so, this was Unplanned.., we goin festive!, well all the christmas tags, well ho ho ho merry xmas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:08:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 19,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21938746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepyscoops/pseuds/sleepyscoops
Summary: Last Christmas, Wonwoo gave Soonyoung his heart... who's kept it ever since, and doesn't know what to do with it.So this year, Wonwoo's going to try again - while Soonyoung goes ahead and tries to plan the office Christmas party, with help, of course.In other news, Jihoon and Seungcheol are still going strong and nearing their first anniversary, but Seungcheol won't even be there to celebrate with Jihoon.And as for Mingyu and Seungkwan... it'll be a miracle if they get along well this Christmas (and beyond).
Relationships: Boo Seungkwan/Kim Mingyu, Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Jeon Wonwoo/Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi
Series: Happy Holidays [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1227233
Comments: 8
Kudos: 42





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **happy holidays! :D**  
>  ok so i got inspired watching seventeen secret santa. svt SMOTHERING jihoonie with LUV that is the wholesome content i signed up for but since this is an au and things work differently in my head amidst all the things going in my life, pls accept this xmas thing from me bc i didn't want to study about drugs zzzzzz and i was in the xmas mood 2 weeks before break lmao. so here:
> 
> I explore boogyu.  
> idk i just wanted to write something ok. i am s t r esse d  
> mayn't be good, but meh. i did this. can't change the past  
> also, spot the frozen references; elsa is queen.
> 
> thou have been warned.

(Captain) Kwon Soonyoung of Human Resources is browsing the web, looking up fan theories of _Frozen 2_ , the hit box-office movie that had gripped the world with its advanced animation and sonically wonderful soundtrack. He’s humming a song from the movie that’s been stuck in his head since he watched it last night; even though he’s got a stack of year-end reports piled onto his desk, all waiting to be read. But he’s not in the mood to do anything at all this week - all he does is clock in and spend his working hours surfing the web or flirting with Jeon Wonwoo from Marketing.

It’s that time of the year again, when the office is decorated with swaths of red and green (personally, by Vice President Sir Joshua Hong himself), and cheesy Christmas songs playing in the elevator; and Seokmin from Reception has even started to wear a red Santa hat to greet visitors in the lobby - it’s almost Christmas!

Of course, it’s even more evident by subtle kissing of officemates under strategically placed mistletoe (especially in the Marketing department); and in an effort so spread the holiday cheer, Vice President Sir Joshua Hong has recruited a bunch of people to sing carols during lunchtime. Everything in the office screams **CHRISTMAS** in bold, 72-point Comic Sans font, and Soonyoung absolutely loves it. Next week, they’re going to have a Christmas party at the office, and Soonyoung’s in charge of planning it… though he hasn’t done anything at all. 

Maybe he could look up a catering service or something, while he’s on the web…

But at that moment, someone knocks on his door - in a rhythm similar to the one Princess Anna did in the first _Frozen_ movie, that Soonyoung half-expects the person on the other side of the door to start singing - _do you want to build a snowman?_

Soonyoung hurries over to the door to open it, but it’s only Seungcheol, the head of Marketing. He’s wearing a forest green tie today, which has little Christmassy pine trees all over it. Extra points for honouring the holiday season! 

“Hey, Captain Kwon.” Seungcheol addresses Soonyoung by his proper title. 

(It’s a bit of a long story, but that’s how things work in this office.)

Soonyoung lets Seungcheol enter, inviting him to sit on one of the uncomfortable stools facing his messy desk. He resumes his seat, wondering why Seungcheol would be looking for him.“How shall I help you today, Mr Choi?”

Seungcheol fiddles with his tie, trying to string the right words for his extraordinary request he has for the head of Human Resources.

“Okay, so I have a meeting in Singapore next week.”

“Sucks to be you!” Soonyoung sympathises, because getting assigned for an overseas work trip during the holiday season does… suck. “Have a nice trip, then. Can you bring us some chilli crab?” 

Seungcheol ignores Soonyoung’s random request, because he’s here to request something from Soonyoung, not the other way around! “Anyway.. since I won’t be here for the Christmas party, can you do me a favour?”

Soonyoung nods, sitting at the edge of his seat. He’s enthralled to be included into something So Important, though he feels immediate guilt, knowing that he’s slacking off in his responsibility as sole planner for the office holiday party. (Well, he was going to search for some catering services, but Seungcheol had interrupted him, so who’s to blame?)

“Make it special for my Jihoonie.” Seungcheol’s words come out in a rush, that Soonyoung barely hears them.

Soonyoung hesitates. “.… okay?”

Jihoon, former alleged alien android from Marketing is Seungcheol’s boyfriend. They’d gotten together this time last year, so maybe Seungcheol must feel bad about missing out on their first anniversary. But even though Jihoon has shown that he’s got a human side (sucking face with Seungcheol all the time), he’s still quite reserved with everyone else, even though he's slowly warming up to socialising with other people apart from Seungcheol and Wonwoo. 

Relieved that he can trust Soonyoung (a potentially fatal mistake, as he would find out later) Seungcheol grins, and takes something out of his pocket, sliding it across the desk towards Soonyoung. “I need you to make the party as enjoyable as possible for him. Here’s a list for you - hopefully it doesn’t interfere with your preparations!"

(Ha. What preparations?)

Soonyoung unfolds the paper, squinting to read Seungcheol's messy handwriting. It's a meticulously written list, complete with enough details that Soonyoung can imagine everything clearly in his mind. Gifts, decorations, food, food, food! All for his precious Jihoon. 

“That's easy enough!” Soonyoung grins, tucking the list into his pants pocket, before pulling out a bundle of leaves from his other pocket. “So… mistletoe?” 

Seungcheol frowns at Soonyoung, already taking it the wrong way. There's a bunch of mistletoe decorating the office at strategic points, which the staff have taken as an advantage for romantic travails. “I'm in a relationship, Kwon.” 

“I meant for you to share with Jihoon.” Soonyoung laughs breezily. Of course he wouldn’t want to get in between Seungcheol and Jihoon, not when he’s got a handsome man waiting from him, whose name starts with Jeon and ends with Wonwoo! Six feet tall, bespectacled and the biggest fan of cats (he’s subscribed to the cutest cat channels on Youtube) and an extremely gentle kisser, as Soonyoung can attest from experience. 

Seungcheol blushes, and takes the mistletoe from Soonyoung. The symbolic little plant that had helped him and Jihoon get together this time last year, with just one kiss. Which Soonyoung had tried to copy, to woo Wonwoo, but it didn’t work - but other things had worked instead. 

(Again, long story.) 

“Thanks, Captain Kwon.” Seungcheol stands up, believing that Soonyoung would be able to pull off the tasks he’d just asked for. He has to get back to his office and talk to Jihoon and see where the mistletoe would take them….

(He tries to remember if he still has condoms in his desk drawer - if he's out, he's screwed.)

“You can trust me, Mr Choi.” Soonyoung escorts Seungcheol to the door. He's confident that he can throw the best Christmas party for Jihoon… with some help, of course. He can’t do this alone. He needs backup, and he already knows who to ask.

Seungcheol stops in the doorway; turning to face Soonyoung with the most serious look in his eyes; that it makes Soonyoung quake with fear in his polished leather shoes. 

“If my Jihoonie's miserable at the party… I'll make sure you regret it.”

* * *

“Pssst. Chan.”

The former intern - now full time HR agent, the youngest in the office - jumps out of his skin when he sees his boss crouching right by his chair. He quickly collects himself, and clicks on a random worksheet to cover up the browser tab he’d been perusing for the past five minutes. “Captain Kwon, sir. How can I help you?”

“Help me.” Soonyoung whispers, trying to plead with his eyes.

“Can we talk at lunch, sir? I've got stuff to do now.” Chan says, looking irritated. 

Soonyoung doesn't mention that he knows that Chan has been watching girl group choreography videos, rather than whatever Important Thing he has to do. But he's desperate, remembering Seungcheol's threat; and Chan would do anything he says. He's still as helpful as ever, but a year working with a bunch of crackheads from different departments has made him more savage, so Soonyoung knows better than to cross him. 

(Something _unfortunate_ had happened to Mingyu from Accounting when he'd teased Chan about the dinosaur figurines on his desk, and it had involved some wedgies and a flooded toilet, which had taken days to repair.)

“Fine. I’ll talk to you at lunch.” Soonyoung huffs, standing up. “But since you’re on the internet, could you be a darling and search for catering services? Thank you!” He ruffles Chan’s hair, and skips away before the young employee could protest. 

Begrudgingly, Chan complies. 

* * *

Wonwoo sits at a table by the window, scrutinizing the pearls of raindrops trickling down the glass. It's definitely getting cold in the city, but it hasn't started snowing yet. 

He's got two sandwiches in front of him, one for Soonyoung and another for himself. As a busy HR man, sometimes Soonyoung would difficult to get ahold of, with his numerous meetings and constant minions (former intern, now full timer Chan) accompanying him. Wonwoo’s lucky enough that (Captain) Kwon from HR has agreed to a brunch date (of sorts) with him. 

Christmas is officially his favourite holiday, even though it's in the winter, his least favourite season. It has something to do with snow, and the most adorable person in the world, called Kwon Soonyoung.

But this year, rather than the expected winter wonderland, with thick white snow carpeting the world; it had been relentlessly raining for almost a week, dull grey skies showering the city. It’s a cold, wet winter, and Wonwoo doesn’t like it at all, because he can’t dry his pants properly and he’s now wearing his last pair. 

He eyeballs the mistletoe hanging over Seungkwan from Accounting’s table, right across him. That damned little plant, which he’s been avoiding like the plague; just because it just somehow makes everyone want to jump all over each other like in some weird porn skit. His colleagues in the Marketing department, Seungcheol and Jihoon had gotten together because of the mistletoe last year; and he knows of someone else who would abuse the mistletoe’s (supposed) virility effects - 

Kwon Soonyoung. 

He’d gotten close to Captain Kwon from HR last year, spending the holidays together, staying in and watching movies and maybe stealing a kiss or two; but when they’d gotten back to the office in the new year it seemed like nothing ever happened between them. Sure, they went on a date once or twice (every week, with Seungkwan and Mingyu from Accounting, but as friends) but they’re not exclusive like Seungcheol and Jihoon. 

Wonwoo has been thinking a lot since last year, and he decides that he’s serious about Soonyoung. How he does things in his quirky little manner; how he adopted a baby tiger on his birthday, even though his subordinates in HR gave him a stuffed hamster instead; how he laughs at the most idiotic things; how he needs Wonwoo to help him out of a technological bind; and the list goes on and on and on, oddly specific things about Kwon Soonyoung that is constantly imprinted onto Wonwoo’s mind. It’s like a syndrome - how his life slowly begins to revolve around the head of Human Resources; his brain associating just about everything with the adorable man he’d kissed last December. 

He’s _positive_ that Soonyoung sees him in a romantic light as well; it’s just that they’re both idiots and cowards to step up to the plate and confess their true feelings. 

Sure, it’s a cliche to ask someone to go steady especially around the holiday season, but he can’t think of a better time to do it -

Just how he’ll do it, is another question that shall not be answered at this point of time. 

Soonyoung enters the cafeteria right then, looking all hectic and wild and out of his mind - though in Wonwoo’s bespectacled eyes, he sees a beautiful man with so much responsibility at the office that he doesn’t have time to take care of himself. Wonwoo’s taken up that role on his own - he’ll look out for Soonyoung in his own quiet way, whether Soonyoung realises it or not. 

He waves Soonyoung over, who slides into the seat across from him. 

“You okay?” Wonwoo asks, concerned, but Soonyoung’s instantly distracted by the food on the table.

“Is this for me?”

Wonwoo pushes the food towards Soonyoung. “Grilled cheese or chicken ham?”

(Of course Soonyoung grabs the sandwich with meat in it, but that’s okay for Wonwoo.)

Soonyoung’s already taken a big bite of his sandwich, his cheeks filled with food - comically, like a hamster. “This is soooo good.”

Wonwoo unwraps the grilled cheese and starts to eat it, staring out the window as he chews the stringy cheese and toast. "I wish it were snowing."

“Yeah.That would be nice. We could build snowmen!” He starts singing, which annoys the hell out of Seungkwan from Accounting at the next table; but a smile spreads onto Wonwoo's face like a sunrise. 

(At thirty something years old, Soonyoung is finally going through his _Frozen_ phase.) 

“How’s the party prep going?” Wonwoo asks conversationally. 

Soonyoung thinks it’s unnecessary to mention that he hasn’t done anything yet for the Christmas party, so he simply shrugs nonchalantly, taking another bite of his food. "It's fine." 

Wonwoo sets his grilled cheese aside. It always gets busy around the holiday season; and most people would take time off to spend the holidays with their families. Wonwoo himself is swamped in work and year-end reports, and surely Soonyoung, who's the leader of the HR department would have three times more on his plate. Added with the unnecessary pressure of planning the office Christmas party, Wonwoo thinks that Soonyoung might just feel exhausted under that sunny facade that he wears every day. 

He wants to wrap Soonyoung into a tight cuddle, so he can feel much better about life in general. And while he's being all lovey dovey now, he could just tell Soonyoung about how he feels - 

His confession is at the tip of his tongue, but someone stops by their table - causing Wonwoo’s train of thoughts to derail into an abyss, where it shall be forgotten, at least for the time being - 

It’s just Chan from HR. “Captain Kwon, sir?”

"Chan!" 

"I have something important to report to you." Chan says in a grave tone. He already feels awkward, interrupting what seems to be a blooming Christmas romance between the pair, but work is work and he needs to tell his boss, because this is urgent. 

Soonyoung nods, but he’s not paying attention to Chan. He's busy munching on his food, making funny faces at Wonwoo as he enjoys his brunch. 

Chan tries again, clearing his throat. "For the party." 

“Can you hold that thought? I'm a bit occupied here.” Soonyoung mumbles, leaning closer towards Wonwoo, appreciating the chiselled features of his handsome face. 

(A bit occupied, having a goo-goo eyes competition with Wonwoo from Marketing.) 

“Alright, sir.” Chan feels slightly demotivated, just because his timing is a bit off. He already feels like the responsibility of organising the party has been indirectly passed down to him, no thanks to his scatter-brained boss. “I’ll gather a few other people to help me.” 

“Whatever you think is wise.” Soonyoung waves a hand dismissively at Chan, who gets the hint and walks away to give the couple some privacy. 

And even though Chan is young, he is wise - already strategizing on the party planning as he leaves. He's going to gather some people for some help, because he knows he can’t do everything alone. And he’s going to surprise his boss at how much progress he'd gotten through in a short amount of time. 

Watch him. 

He’s going to become Employee of the Year. 

* * *

Chan makes Soonyoung come to the lobby after lunch, for an emergency Christmas party planning meeting. Soonyoung's surprised to see Mingyu and Seungkwan from Accounting, Hansol from IT and Chan surrounding Seokmin from Reception at the front desk. 

"They’re all to help you." Chan supplies a quick explanation before his boss can ask. 

Soonyoung breaks into a bright grin, greeting all of them, who are seemingly waiting for him. He’s used to meetings in board rooms, with tea and coffee and wrinkly old men in suits yelling about the company’s financial health as Vice President Sir Joshua calmly sits at the head of the table, patiently listening to everyone’s irrational arguments. This impromptu discussion taking place at the most obvious spot in the whole building - Vice President Sir Joshua could just walk through the gilded main doors at any given second - throws him off. Booking a meeting room in the office is a tangle of clicks in the online system the IT department had set up, which Soonyoung might have to refer to Wonwoo about, which may lead to further questioning from his _unofficial_ beau. 

Luckily, Soonyoung can adapt quickly to any work situation. “Alright, everyone. Please help me organise the Christmas party.” He asks shamelessly. 

Seungkwan begins nagging about how Soonyoung should've started planning when Vice President Sir Joshua Hong had given him the task. But Soonyoung uses a sharp glance and his seniority to shut Seungkwan up, but that doesn't stop Seungkwan from muttering under his breath.

Chan takes the cue to report on his progress, formally starting their informal discussion. "I couldn't find any catering services for the party, sir, they're all fully booked or closed for the holidays."

"I can cook." Mingyu volunteers. He's an amateur cook, dabbling in simple recipes at home; but he's confident in his own skills to cater to at least twenty people at the Christmas party.

"Congratulations." Soonyoung brushes him off quickly, already brainstorming hard to solve the catering problem. "We don't need to have food right?"

"But it won't be a party without food." Hansol from IT reasons logically. 

"We can buy snacks!" Seokmin suggests, his eyes sparkling with excitement. He’s addicted to snacks, and he keeps a secret stash behind the front desk where he sits all day, for some emergency munchies when he gets bored or hungry.

"Ice cream!" Seungkwan adds. 

"It's in the middle of winter, bro.” Chan is the voice of reason in all of this. 

"I can cook." Mingyu repeats, wondering if no one heard him the first time. 

Seokmin is letting his imagination loose as he brainstorms for ideas. "We need a reindeer."

"And a Santa." Soonyoung bounces on the balls of his feet, getting excited by all the suggestions from the guys. 

“Ooh, can we do a secret santa gift exchange?” Another brilliant input from Seokmin, but this time most of them seem to agree. 

“Can’t say no to free gifts.”

Someone else saunters up to them at that moment - it's their company president's son, Junhui. He occasionally stops by the office in his father's best interest - just to make a good impression, because he'll take over the company one day. He finds it easy to talk to the office boys, because they're about the same age. "I heard something about free gifts. What's it for?"

Everyone says hello to the young company heir. Only Soonyoung greets him like an old friend, patting his shoulder good-naturedly, accompanied by a cordial smile. "It's for the company Christmas party." 

"Sounds fun!" Junhui’s eyes widen with fascination. 

"Wanna join? The more the merrier, of course." Soonyoung can’t help but invite Junhui along - it would be rude not to. He’s their big boss’s son after all, possibly their future big boss if the current big boss steps down. 

Junhui grins. "Definitely. You got me at free gifts. Will you have food?"

"I can cook." Mingyu says cheerfully, only to be interrupted by Soonyoung. He's tapping his chin, deep in thought. "Should we do games?"

"Drinks." Someone chips in with an A+ idea. 

Chan massages his temples. Any more wacky ideas, and he'll need some alcohol himself to tolerate these people and their crackhead ideas. Of course they can't drink in the middle of the workday - which is when the party is scheduled for, as advised by Vice President Sir Joshua. Everything’s going a bit too fast for Chan, almost out of his control; and he needs to take the reins again before someone else suggests something irrational. They've got to keep the party mild, which means no alcohol, just grape juice. 

"Drinking games!"

Chan facepalms. 

"So we have snacks, costumes, gifts and drinks." Soonyoung quickly consults Seungcheol’s list, almost forgetting about the Marketing boss's requests. 

  * Rice/meat/ramen. 
  * Cola. 
  * Maybe a Santa?
  * Fun decorations.
  * And good music. 



Everything just seems to go according to what Seungcheol had asked for, so his boyfriend Jihoon can have a good time at the office party. But Soonyoung feels like he doesn't have to strictly follow all of Seungcheol's requests, after all, this party is for everyone, not just for Jihoon. 

They _do_ need a Santa, Soonyoung decides. “Seokmin, you can be Santa.” 

“Me?” Seokmin points to himself. He thinks he's more of an elf, or a reindeer, but Santa? 

“Because you’re happy and jolly and you look good in red.” Soonyoung says. 

Soonyoung's explanation is enough to convince Seokmin. “Okay.” 

“Let's just add some party music, and we’re set to go.” Chan says quickly. 

“There’s a guy named Minghao in my department. He does DJ-ing on the side.” Hansol from IT offers. 

“We’ll ask him then.” Chan notes it down. “Anything else?”

“Guests! We need guests to attend the party.” Soonyoung states the obvious. 

"I’ll go around all the departments and see who wants to join us". Chan says, aware that his boss Soonyoung is giving him a proud smile. The young HR officer had definitely grown into his role since he'd interned at the office last year, and Soonyoung feels like a father watching him develop into a confident young man who is able to work as a team player, especially in organising office events like this. 

"Count me in, will you?" Junhui shamelessly invites himself along, as he absently checks his phone. 

"Definitely, sir." Chan nods, making a note of it. The page is almost already filled up; there's so much to do...

"I gotta run. See you guys around!" The young heir hurries over to the bank of elevators at the back of the room; he's probably late for a board meeting. 

"Well, that took a different turn." Hansol from IT comments, once Junhui is out of earshot. 

"He's a fun guy." Soonyoung vouches for the big boss’s son. At least it's not the president of the company itself, President Moon, a zero-nonsense no fun old man in a suit; Junhui's father. He sat in so many board meetings with President Moon, who bores him to death with his dry tone as he gives out semi-inspirational speeches. Meanwhile, Junhui is the carefree, jet-setting heir of the company; and he takes some time to build rapport with his employees. Exactly what Soonyoung thinks what a boss should be, rather than the outdated President Moon, who’s already of retiring age. At least, Vice President Sir Joshua is in touch with them and all their Gen Z concerns. 

“Anyway. we need a place to have the party.” Seungkwan adds, snatching Chan’s pen to scribble on the paper. 

Everything's coming together, and Soonyoung doesn’t even have to lift a finger to do it! Good thing his office mates are up for the job, taking matters into their own hands without him even asking. Right then, Soonyoung sees a familiar lanky figure passing by them, heading towards the main door. “Wonwoo!” 

The man stops in his tracks, nodding at everyone else in acknowledgment, before focusing all his attention onto starry-eyed Soonyoung with a little smirk he deems sexy. 

"Where are you going?" Soonyoung asks, forgetting about their little party planning. 

“Seungcheol and Jihoon are having a …” Wonwoo pauses, thinking of a word to delicately describe what exactly is going on - “A meeting.” 

“Ooh, hardworking.” Soonyoung flutters his (lack of) eyelashes at Wonwoo. “So… where are you going?” 

“Probably the convenience store.” 

“Oh, we need snacks for the party.” Soonyoung grabs Wonwoo’s arm, ready to leave. "Do you think I can buy fifty bags of chips?" 

“I can cook, dammit!” Mingyu throws his hands up in frustration. 

“We heard you the first time.” Chan says, pointing to a little scribble in his notebook, underlined and circled several times to emphasise the point, just as many times as Mingyu had mentioned it. 

**KIM MINGYU. COOK FOOD!!**

Mingyu blushes, thanking Chan for acknowledging him. He’s already thinking about the extensive spread he’ll make for the party - a gingerbread house, a fancy, stuffed roast, pasta, and lots of kimchi and ramen. He’ll knock everyone’s socks off with his tasty, homemade food; and he’s excited for that. He's about to propose his menu to Soonyoung, but the head of HR is too busy fussing over Wonwoo from Marketing. They even turn away and leave without saying anything, somewhat ending their discussion. 

“Ugh, I wish they’d just get together already.” Seokmin sighs, watching Soonyoung leave with Wonwoo. 

“Oh, please. I’m sick of seeing Seungcheol and Jihoon doing something naughty in the office.” Mingyu complains. “I don’t need to see them having a competition over who’s the hornier couple.” 

“What business do you even have in Marketing, anyway?” Seungkwan narrows his eyes, hands on his hips as he sizes Mingyu up. 

“I always ask for Wonwoo’s help to balance the accounts. He’s really good with numbers.” Mingyu replies, standing his ground. 

“I knew it! I knew you were asking for someone’s help!” 

“It’s good to double check!” Mingyu retaliates. Sure, he can do his job - he’s a certified accountant, dammit - but of course it wouldn’t hurt to have a fresh set of eyes to go over the figures. It’s a painstaking job, but perfectionist Mingyu won’t ever turn in a mediocre effort. 

“I can help you double check.” Seungkwan mutters under his breath. “Baby.” 

Since Soonyoung has left with Wonwoo, Chan takes initiative to spearhead the Christmas party planning. He gets down to business, delegating tasks to the little team he’d gathered himself. Mingyu would be in charge of food, Seokmin will plan the secret santa gift exchange, Hansol and Seungkwan in charge of the Christmas tree and decorations. Chan appoints himself as the leader of this little project, and he's also got to send invitations to everyone in the office..

Being the newest recruit in the company, he’s determined for everyone to have the best time of their lives - 

Maybe, he’ll get another promotion for outstanding job performance. 

Oh, he has plans. 

Great plans; for the bright future of the company. 

* * *

Three days have passed. Wonwoo enters the office on another dreary morning, shaking excess rainwater off his umbrella before he stuffs it in into its waterproof cover. His pants are drenched from the heavy rain, of course, and he’s not happy about that. 

Why is Seoul being hit by monsoon rains (ironic, since Seoul is thousands of miles away from the equator), when it’s just a few days away from Christmas? He blames global warming and climate change, of course - which is why he’s getting metal straws for everyone in the office. 

He should’ve saved up his holidays for times like this, but he’d used them up to go backpacking in Japan over the summer with Soonyoung and his high school friends. Wet and moody, he faces another day in the office with free-for-all soft porn live beside him, starring his boss and colleague, Seungcheol and Jihoon. (He wishes they’d keep their dicks in their pants at work - though he hasn’t witnessed anything of that sort, hopefully never - though he wishes more for Soonyoung to officially become his boyfriend.) 

Joy. 

Jeonghan from Public Relations is having a chinwag with Seokmin at the front desk, probably with some office gossip. They’re too immersed in their conversation that Seokmin almost forgets to greet Wonwoo - as he does to anyone who walks in through the front door - but today he’s got an important task that he halts his conversation with Jeonghan.

“Good morning, Wonwoo! Please pick a gift receiver for out secret santa gift exchange.” Seokmin beams from behind the front desk, radiating such energizing happiness that Wonwoo can’t help but return a tiny nod. He’s holding out an upturned red Santa hat - which matches the one he's wearing - filled with folded little pieces of paper. This must be part of the Christmas party that his precious Soonyoung is busy planning, so of course he doesn’t hesitate to join. Chan from HR had been going around all the departments, sending out invitations for the party, and constantly requesting for RSVPs through email. 

Wonwoo dips his hand in and takes a folded paper out; his heart racing with nervous anticipation. 

Please let it be Soonyoung. Soonyoung. Soonyoung. Soonyoung….

He unfolds the paper, and reads the name written on it. 

**LEE JIHOON FROM MARKETING.**

Not Soonyoung. Disappointed, he shoves the slip of paper into his coat pocket. At least it’s Jihoon, his colleague since forever - he knows Jihoon well enough to know what to get for him.

(Metal straws.) 

Seungkwan from Accounting waltzes in behind Wonwoo, plucking a slip of paper out of Seokmin’s hat to select his giftee. “Ugh, Kim Mingyu?” His loud outburst reveals everything; and his voice doesn’t mask his disappointment.

And who should enter the lobby at that moment, but Kim Mingyu himself. He’s surprised that Seungkwan had called his name out, echoing in the high ceiling of the lobby. They accidentally lock eyes - panic in reflected in Seungkwan’s, while there’s confusion in Mingyu’s - and Wonwoo can feel the tension between them sizzling like a coal in the heart of a fire about to burn. 

Seungkwan scuttles into the elevator after Wonwoo, desperately stabbing the button for the doors to close. His face is red with anger and embarrassment; and Wonwoo can feel the heat radiating off the man, even though they’re standing three feet apart. 

“So, who’s your secret santa thing?” Seungkwan blurts out. His day is probably starting off badly, and Ariana Grande crooning _Santa Baby_ over the elevator speakers is getting to his nerves. Still, he’s curious to know who Wonwoo had gotten for the gift exchange; and he can't stand the judgmental silence hanging in the air - 

“I have to get a gift for Jihoon.”

Seungkwan scoffs. “Good luck with that.” Personally, Wonwoo doesn't think it's a problem, because he sits next to Jihoon in the office, and they've been friends for years. Besides, he’s got his foolproof plan of giving everyone metal straws, remember? 

The lift ascends a few floors, reaching the Accounting floor first, so Seungkwan alights without another word. 

“Good luck getting a gift for Kim Mingyu.” Wonwoo calls out teasingly as the doors close. 

Even through the thick metal doors, Wonwoo can still hear Seungkwan’s screams of agony, which gives him a bit of sadistic satisfaction; because everyone in the office is familiar with the tension between Mingyu and Seungkwan. And last Christmas, when Soonyoung had decorated the whole building with mistletoe - they’d even shared a steamy kiss under one, which then-intern Chan can testify to (poor boy had counselling for three months after that). 

But karma hits him back instantly, because Seungcheol and Jihoon - with temporary separation looming over their near future - are already being lovey-dovey this early in the morning. 

Seungcheol is hovering behind Jihoon, resting his chin on Jihoon's shoulder as they peer at the computer monitor in front of them. They do look quite sweet, and there's a stab of jealousy in his heart, because he wants someone (Soonyoung) to be that close to him too.

It's time to work, and he's got his tasks lined up for the day. So he switches his desktop computer on, and hopes that he can focus long enough without thinking about Soonyoung. 

Not long after that, Seungcheol returns to his office, and everyone in the open-plan office of the Marketing department exhales a sigh of relief, seeing their boss leave. Now everyone can slack off and watch random videos on Youtube without fear of being reprimanded by their boss; though he'd definitely mellowed out when he started dating Jihoon. 

Jihoon stretches, and turns to Wonwoo with a big smile. Spending some time with Seungcheol always puts him in a good mood; and he feels like chatting. 

But Wonwoo's feeling a little sassy today. "Why is he wearing a tie with Santas on it?"

Jihoon looks fully offended, the smile disappearing off his face. "I'm the one who picks his ties out every morning." 

"Oh." Wonwoo's embarrassed with his little blunder; he can feel the mood shifting. "Sorry." 

Jihoon whirls back to his desk, ending the conversation. So much for a nice chat. 

"I didn't know you guys moved in together." Wonwoo assumes, thinking about the domesticity between Seungcheol and Jihoon - they're so close that they're already picking out each other's clothes! (At least, they don't match their outfits.) 

"We didn't." Jihoon says curtly. 

"Do you have plans to?" 

"Maybe." 

Even though they've been friends for a while now, it's still a lot of effort for Wonwoo to wheedle personal information from Jihoon, with his short replies. He’d rather not poke for more answers from Jihoon and annoy him even further, so he resumes his tasks. 

He gets in a few hours of quality work, then when he gets bored, he checks his email. There's a few junk messages that he promptly sends to the trash. 

But there's one Important email sitting at the top of his inbox, from Soonyoung - an invitation to brunch right now! The second Wonwoo sees that email (accidentally cc'd to the whole HR department) he grabs his wallet and heads down to the cafeteria, where they'll meet. 

Soonyoung's already settled down at a table by the window, as Wonwoo approaches him. 

“Hey!” Soonyoung greets Wonwoo in his usual bubbly way, with the cutest, squishy grin in all of written history. It makes Wonwoo's heart leap with joy, and he smiles from ear to ear. 

“Did you cc that email to your whole department?” Wonwoo asks as he takes a seat across Soonyoung. 

“Yeah!” Soonyoung replies cheerfully, unaware of the chaos (?) he'd created. “So who’s your secret santa?” 

Wonwoo can't help but smile even wider. Soonyoung is an idiot, but he’s an adorable idiot, so it’s okay. “That’s the point, Soonyoung. It’s a secret. I don’t know who my secret santa is.” 

Soonyoung pouts. “Well, I have to get something for Vice President Sir Joshua and I don’t really know what he likes.”

“Get him wine.” Wonwoo says after some thought. 

“Isn’t that too expensive?” 

“Metal straws, then.” Wonwoo suggests, sharing his gift idea. All for the better for planet earth. 

“Ooh, that’s fancy.” 

They slide into comfortable silence as their conversation dissipates. Soonyoung looks at Wonwoo, hope sparkling in his eyes - like he's expecting for Wonwoo to say something.. 

_Maybe now would be the time,_ Wonwoo thinks; as his hands begin to sweat, and his pulse quickens. He's not fully ready; his confession a jumble of nonsense in his head. 

"I love winter." Soonyoung breaks his gaze and glances out the window. It’s still raining outside - probably the worst winter weather the city has seen in years. "I want it to snow." He'd been moaning for that ever since the winds turned colder. 

Wonwoo nods. "Me too." He clearly remembers last winter like it was just yesterday - the streets carpeted with a thick layer with snow; rolling snowballs to lob towards Soonyoung, before falling clumsily down to the ground, tangled in each other, followed by their ever first kiss….

Maybe that's what Soonyoung wants; but Wonwoo doesn't yield ice-controlling powers - if he did, he would've let it snow.

His eyes flick to Soonyoung’s hand, which is just he resting on the table - so inviting, and so damn easy for him to just reach out and hold it. 

Just as Wonwoo’s picking up his courage to do it, someone interrupts them. 

Of course.

"Hello." It’s Seungcheol from Marketing (Wonwoo’s boss), with Jihoon by his side. "Can we join you?"

Soonyoung grins at the couple, nodding; while Wonwoo dies a little bit inside. Every time he gets a little alone time with Soonyoung, someone butts in and ruins the atmosphere. 

Like the other day when he'd run into Soonyoung with a bunch of the younger guys in the office lobby trying to escape Seungcheol and Jihoon; Soonyoung had promptly joined him in his excursion to the convenience store. But the thrilling idea was rudely interrupted when Soonyoung had been called in by the company president’s son Junhui for some Important Thing, probably some irrelevant board meeting that Soonyoung doesn’t even have to speak at as head of Human Resources. Always a people pleaser, Soonyoung had apologetically left Wonwoo at the convenience store, promising to do it next time instead. So Wonwoo sat there alone, slurping some warm ramen, wondering what it would’ve been like to share some with Soonyoung. 

Their fates had always been running parallel, always so close to each other; but on that rare miraculous occasion last December, crossing once to shape the most memorable Christmas for both of them.

Wonwoo had even given up going home for the holidays, hoping for something to happen between him and Soonyoung, but he can’t help but think: are they never meant to be together, was just a one time thing? 

He shakes this negative thoughts off his mind. 

He’s still got a chance to change his own destiny; it’s not set in stone. Whatever happens, he wants last Christmas to last forever - all those kisses and cuddles; he’s never felt so in love before. And he won’t stop until he gets it again, and he’ll hold onto it forever. 

Wonwoo returns his attention to the present, now aware that Jihoon is talking beside him. 

"I’m Seokmin from Reception’s secret santa." Jihoon’s saying. 

"What’s the point of having secret santa if everyone’s just gonna tell each other about it?" Wonwoo points out. Earlier, Jeonghan from Public Relations had a quick chat with him at the urinals about what to get for Seungkwan from Accounting. Like Wonwoo would know - he’s not even Seungkwan’s best friend! 

"Well, I’m not sure what to get him, so I need your opinion." Jihoon reasons. 

"I suggested toothpaste, so he can maintain his beautiful smile." Seungcheol chips in with his own two cents. He’s not worried about the secret santa gift exchange, since he’s not participating, flying off for his big overseas meeting on the day of the office Christmas party. 

"And I think that seems too cheap." Jihoon shoots back. 

"You'll get me toothpaste for Christmas, won't you, Jihoonie?" Seungcheol says with a flirty smile. 

"Probably, just because you always use mine when you stay over." Jihoon quips, rolling his eyes. 

Seungcheol blows a kiss towards Jihoon, which traumatizes Wonwoo, having to see them flirt up close. 

“Wonwoo told me to get metal straws for Vice President Sir Joshua. I think it’s a pretty swell idea.” Soonyoung interjects. He smiles sweetly at Wonwoo, which warms him up from within. He's about to respond with a witty remark, when someone _else_ approaches them, dragging a chair along. 

“Captain Kwon?” It’s Seungkwan from Accounting. At the rate people are coming up to talk to them, Wonwoo suspects that Soonyoung had probably bcc'd that email invite to the whole office. 

“What’s up?” 

Seungkwan nervously glances at Wonwoo, before turning back to Soonyoung. “Can we exchange our giftee for Secret Santa?” 

Wonwoo almost laughs out loud at Seungkwan’s request, but he manages to contain himself. The accountant shoots a sharp look at Wonwoo, because he'd been there during Seungkwan's outburst about the gift exchange earlier. 

“Okay.” Soonyoung’s completely blase about the whole thing, stuffing food into his mouth. 

“So.. who did you get?” Seungkwan asks impatiently. 

“Vice President Sir Joshua.” 

Seungkwan exhales. “It’s still better than Kim Mingyu.” 

“I thought you like him.” Seungcheol butts in. 

There’s fire in Seungkwan’s eyes once those seemingly offending words leave Seungcheol’s mouth. 

“I do _not_ like Kim Mingyu, okay?” Seungkwan snaps. 

"Okay." Soonyoung nods. "So you still wanna change?"

"Yes. Please." There's so much desperation in Seungkwan's voice that Wonwoo almost feels sorry for him. "I already have to work with Kim Mingyu. I don't owe him a Christmas present."

"But it'll be a nice gesture." Seungcheol cuts in. 

"Don't tell me who to be nice to, Mr Choi." Seungkwan says in a low, almost threatening voice; before he flounces away in a fit. 

The four of them sit there quietly as Seungkwan leaves; with only the sound of Soonyoung munching filling in the air. 

"So what do I get for Mingyu from Accounting?" Soonyoung asks to no one in particular, though his gaze meets Wonwoo's dark eyes. 

"Metal straws." 

* * *

"I feel bad for not spending Christmas with you this year." Seungcheol says to Jihoon, as they exit a restaurant after dinner. The skies have finally let up that evening; and the scent of petrichor, mixed with street food, hangs thickly in the air. People are filling in the brightly lit streets for some merrymaking and last minute holiday shopping after days of being locked indoors, due to the endless rain. It's a chilly evening, and Jihoon presses himself close to Seungcheol's side, interlocking their gloved hands together. 

"It's almost our one year anniversary too.. I swear I'll make it up to you when I get back." Seungcheol promises, looking at Jihoon with a fond smile. 

Jihoon stops in the middle of the street. Even though they're surrounded by what seems like half of the city around them - shoppers pushing by, hunting for holiday bargains as sales assistants try to lure them into stores, loudly advertising their promotions; and street vendors hawking their wares, adding to the general commotion of the busy street - Jihoon feels like he's in his own little world with Seungcheol, where no one else matters. He looks up to lock his gaze onto Seungcheol's deep dark irises, which holds nothing but adoration and love - filling up Jihoon's heart with reassurance that makes him safe, yet frightened at the same time. He's scared of losing Seungcheol, who's always doing so much for him; yet when they're together, they're practically inseparable. And in that moment, he's feeling grateful for having such a thoughtful and loving boyfriend.

He's about to tiptoe and kiss Seungcheol, when he spies Mingyu from Accounting from the corner of his eye. Then there's Seungkwan from Accounting, Minghao and Hansol from IT, Chan from HR and Seokmin from Reception; all of them walking in a row with their merry chatter and uncountable shopping bags hanging off their arms. 

Jihoon gives Seungcheol a quick grin, hurriedly tugging him away before the guys from the office recognise them. "Let's go to my place." 

Seungcheol returns a sultry smile, which makes Jihoon's heart accelerate, knowing what it means… 

"Hey, Mr Choi!" Seokmin from Reception yells; his voice so loud that it carries over the din of the crowds. 

_Godammit._

Polite as always, Seungcheol greets the rest of the guys as their entourage approaches. "Fancy running into you guys here." 

"We're shopping for stuff!" Mingyu from Accounting holds up a bunch of shopping bags; and he drops a couple, being the klutz that he is. Minghao from IT immediately kneels down to help Mingyu pick up the fallen items, as Seungkwan shakes his head at his colleague. 

"I can see that." Seungcheol nods, almost in a fatherly way. "Have you eaten yet?" 

"We're going to the Chinese restaurant on the corner. Wanna join?" Seokmin says. 

"We just ate, so you guys go ahead." 

"Alright then." Chan nods. 

"See you guys tomorrow." Seungcheol waves at them as Jihoon pulls him away; the couple disappearing into the crowd. 

"They're so cute together." Seokmin sighs. He loves seeing couples - it gives him some hope for love. Seungcheol and Jihoon are the ultimate pair in their office, and he wants to be in a wholesome relationship like them. 

"Oh, a health store!" Seungkwan exclaims, getting distracted when he sees the vibrant display in the window of a nearby shop. "You guys wait here, I'm gonna buy something." 

Hansol trails after Seungkwan anyway, leaving the four other guys on the street. 

"I hope he doesn't take long. My arms are killing me." Chan complains, adjusting the heavy shopping bags he’s carrying. They'd all went shopping for the office Christmas party once the work day ended, spending hours in a party shop buying decorations and other necessities for the party. 

Mingyu drifts over to a fashion boutique on the other side of the road without thinking, attracted by the adorable bear hoodie worn by the faceless mannequin in the window. Fashion-forward Minghao goes by his side, admiring the accessories on the other mannequin. 

“What are you thinking, Mingyu?” Minghao asks, seeing that his friend is deep in contemplation. 

“The bear hoodie. For Seungkwan.” 

Minghao looks at it. The furry material is a warm chocolate colour, with little ears on the hood. Not exactly office-worthy, but just perfect for a movie night or just lounging at home. Personally, he wouldn’t dress in anything like that, but he figures it might just suit Seungkwan, given his friendly aura. 

"Do you think he'll like it?" Mingyu’s doubting his decision. He’s not much of an impulse shopper, but his gut is telling him to buy the bear hoodie for his colleague - even though sometimes they don’t see eye-to-eye. He’s not even Seungkwan’s secret santa, but he thinks it’d be nice, because they’d been working together for a while now. 

Minghao gives Mingyu a knowing smile - everyone is aware of the history that went down between Seungkwan and Mingyu last Christmas. "That's for you to find out." 

Feeling reassured, Mingyu walks into the shop, and after a quick deal and exchange of money, he exits with the bear hoodie wrapped up nicely into a gift bag. 

The other guys are waiting in a huddle in the middle of the street. Mingyu strides over to join them, trying to act normal. Somehow, he’s feeling nervous and nauseous - he’d never really felt compelled to do something extra nice for Seungkwan; and the paper bag that contains Seungkwan’s present feels like radioactive. What if Seungkwan - who’s always so attentive at all the smallest details - points it out? 

“Where did you go, Kim Mingyu?” Seungkwan stands with his hands on his hips; eyes narrowed at his tall colleague. Sometimes Mingyu just… gets on Seungkwan’s nerves! Why can’t he do anything proper at least one time? 

“Chill, Boo.” Mingyu replies nonchalantly, keeping his voice level. “I was getting a present for someone.” 

Seungkwan huffs, and turns on his heel. He's tired of asking useless questions to Mingyu, because it might just lead to useless arguments, and he doesn’t have the energy for that. “I’m hungry. Let’s go, everyone.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cackles at the fact that this took me almost a month to complete, but hey i had exams and i ended up with a B. sighs.  
> \+ that last part was written on a plane, idk what i was thinking at 38000 feet in the air heh
> 
> anyway, shoutout to: Fernon, minisenpai, adoreuhoon, stormiestories, LlamaCow and the 4 guests - thankies for leaving kudos <3 hope y'all having a good year :D

Soonyoung wakes up in the middle of the night for no reason at all. One minute, he’d been dreaming, and the next thing he knows, he’s wide awake in his twin bed, staring at the dark ceiling. He doesn’t even remember what he’d been dreaming about; and when he tries to go back to sleep, he can’t. 

His body is tired, but his brain is already working at full capacity at two in the morning - there’s so many things for him to think about. Work, and his personal life. Chan had taken full responsibility of organising the Christmas party, taking it off Soonyoung’s hands. He doesn’t really know the progress of the party planning, so he makes a mental note (which he’ll probably forget) to ask Chan first thing tomorrow morning. 

He rolls over, eyeballing the velvet box sitting on his bedside table, illuminated by the lowlight peeking through the curtains. He knows what’s inside - the expensive purchase had been worth it, just for the person he loves. Things had been stagnant for too long between them - and he only has to be patient to wait for the right moment to move things forward. 

He doesn’t know exactly when, but he knows that he’ll know when it’s right. 

* * *

Jihoon stares at the desktop calendar sitting next to his computer monitor. It's just another day at the office, and he's counting down the days to Christmas, so he can escape the dreariness of sifting through endless paperwork. More than half of the month had been crossed out with red ink - days gone by - and tomorrow, Seungcheol would fly off to a different country, leaving him alone in the city. 

He knows that Seungcheol can’t get out of this big meeting, because it’s crucial for some kind of big collaboration that the company’s board members have been planning for a long time. Jihoon is just a measly marketing agent dealing with regional offices, so what does he know about important international deals? 

All he knows is that he’ll be stuck here alone on their first anniversary, and he doesn’t like it at all. 

The same day when Seungcheol flies off will be the office Christmas party, which he doesn’t really want to attend. Sure, his colleagues may be fun to hang out with, but knowing that Seungcheol won’t be there makes him feel demotivated, and all he wants to do is bundle up under a bunch of comfortable blankets and wait for Seungcheol to come home. 

But he’d already signed up for the secret santa gift exchange, so it would be impolite for him to pull out at the very last minute. He had even gotten a gift for Seokmin from Reception for the gift exchange anyway. He'd even bought something for Wonwoo - his closest friend in the office - so the Christmas gathering would be the perfect time to give the presents out, since he probably won't see them until next year. Besides, he knows there'll be free food at the party, so he might as well turn up for that. 

He doesn't feel like doing any work today; the fairy lights and mistletoe giving off a rather festive vibe to the office, making Jihoon crave even more to be home for the holidays. He'd been planning to spend it with Seungcheol this year, but those plans had been ruined when President Moon had assigned Seungcheol - the head of the Marketing department - to go on the big overseas business trip he'd claimed a 'dream come true' for any marketing executive - business and pleasure all rolled into one. Jihoon knows that Seungcheol would be spending a few days in the city-state - one day for the meeting, and a couple more days to tour around and see the sights, organised by their potential Singaporean investors. 

So Jihoon would have to spend Christmas all by himself, with no boyfriend to pamper him to bits. Unless...

Impulsively, he pulls up a travel site, looking up flights to Singapore. What if he could go there and spend some time with his boyfriend? It’s an irrational thought, but he scrolls the page listlessly and hopelessly, bug-eyed at the extravagant last-minute flight ticket prices that cost him almost a month’s wage. Travelling internationally during the holiday season isn’t the best idea, but he clicks on a random flight, wondering if he could still go through with his poorly thought out plan... 

“Jihoon?” Wonwoo rolls over in his chair from his adjacent desk. 

Jihoon’s surprised, and he can’t close the browser quick enough, fumbling with the mouse like he'd been caught watching porn. An abstract monochrome screensaver replaces the incriminating evidence that he'd been looking at flights he can't afford. 

Wonwoo’s eyes flick over from Jihoon’s computer monitor to his friend, whose face has drained of colour. "Is this a good time?" 

"Yeah, sure!" Jihoon's voice is three octaves higher, and Wonwoo gives him an odd look. 

If Wonwoo had seen that Jihoon had been looking at flight tickets, he doesn’t question it. Instead, he asks for help about some spreadsheet that Mingyu from Accounting had sent him. They pore over some work together for a bit; Jihoon almost expecting Wonwoo to pop a question about the flight tickets at any given moment, but his friend keeps silent about it. He almost _wills_ for it to happen, because he can't keep internalising his current predicament. 

Jihoon just wants to spend some time with his boyfriend over the holidays. Is that too much to ask? 

(His paycheck says yes, it _is_ too much; because he absolutely _cannot_ afford it.)

But Wonwoo gives excellent advice, so Jihoon decides to confide in him. Just as he's about to do it, Chan from HR enters the Marketing department, heading straight towards Wonwoo. He looks all business today, armed with a battered old notebook several pens clipped to the breast pocket of his shirt, and one pencil tucked behind his ear for good measure. 

"Good morning, gentlemen." Chan greets them, as he flips his notebook open. “Wonwoo, you’re going to the Christmas party tomorrow, right?”

“Yes.” Wonwoo nods. With the click of a pen, Chan writes something down in his book, confirming the number of attendees for the party, so Mingyu knows how much food to cook. 

“Are there a lot of people going?” Jihoon asks curiously. Maybe he could get out easily if there’s a huge turnout… 

Chan scratches his head. “Well, I asked everyone in this building, but only twelve people confirmed.” He's harried about the meagre attendance - Vice President Sir Joshua might not be too happy about it; but most of the staff would want to spend Christmas _away_ from the office, so Chan completely understands. 

“Oh.” 

“Are you going, Jihoon?” Wonwoo asks his friend. 

“I guess I will. Cheol wants me to go. Have some fun. Watch Captain Kwon get drunk.” Jihoon says, in a resigned tone. He glances over to the closed door of Seungcheol’s corner office, wondering if he could have a word with the _boss_ , but he knows Seungcheol is busy. 

“Thank you for your response." Chan says, closing his notebook. He inwardly exhales with relief; because his main task is done. Even though not many people will be attending, at least he doesn't have to bother with crowd control. 

"No problem, Chan. Is everything going well?" 

Chan hesitates for half a beat before he replies to Wonwoo's question with a manufactured smile. "Ah, of course!" 

(His eyes are screaming for help.)

"If you guys need any help, just tell us." Wonwoo says, spinning around in his office chair. 

"Okay. Thank you. I'll be on my way now." Chan smiles, before hurrying away. The party planning is only about halfway done, and he's still got a lot of office work to do… so he might just work overtime again. Sigh. 

Chan walks over to the elevator, and presses the up button, to return to HR, which is on a higher floor. The lift takes an eternity to arrive, and when the doors open, he’s surprised to see a fake Christmas tree inside the elevator car; its green, spindly leaves poking out in all directions. 

“Are we there yet?” Mingyu’s disembodied voice floats from inside the lift. 

“No, you idiot.” Seungkwan replies sharply - he’s probably hidden somewhere inside the lift, too, squished by the tree. "Someone opened the door." 

"Ah, sorry, that was me." Chan pipes up, seeing the hassle the accountants had gotten themselves into. “Do you guys need help?”

“Nah, it’s okay.” Mingyu declines, poking his head out between a couple of branches. It’s not like the lift can fit one more person, with the tree filling the entire space. 

“I’ll just wait for the next one, then.” Chan says. 

“Right! Bye!” Mingyu says, as the doors slide shut, enclosing him within the claustrophobic space of the elevator with the Christmas tree, and Seungkwan from somewhere within. 

The life ascends a few more floors, finally reaching the correct floor. There's no appropriate way of exiting the elevator properly; so Seungkwan tugs onto one part of the tree, pulling it out into the hallway. The top of the tree gets stuck for a second, but Mingyu frees it as he stumbles out, falling unceremoniously onto the floor with the tree as a landing pad. The doors nearly close in on Mingyu’s leg, and he screams like a wounded puppy even though he manages to pull his leg out of the way. 

“Is your leg okay?” Seungkwan’s words are filled with concern for his colleague. 

Mingyu nods tearfully - he’d half expected for his leg to be amputated by the elevator doors. He’s just glad he’d made it in one piece; but now both of them have to lug the giant tree down to one of the meeting rooms down the hallway, which Chan has booked for the party. 

“Why did Hansol order such a big tree?” Mingyu complains, dusting spindly fake leaves off his shirt. The tree is even bigger than Mingyu, who’s the tallest in the office, and it’s quite a bother to drag it around. 

Seungkwan shrugs. “Go ask him, not me.” He doesn’t mention that it had been _his_ idea to order the biggest tree possible within their budget; but Hansol had been the one who’d placed the order. If the office is paying for it, then go big, _or_ go home to the sad excuse of a Christmas tree he’d set up in his own studio apartment. 

“Come on. We can’t sit around all day.” Seungkwan helps Mingyu up to his feet. He's super heavy; all six feet two of him is just pure, unadulterated muscle he'd been nurturing in gym sessions with Mr Choi from Marketing, that Seungkwan had heard about from Seokmin. (Which is why Seungkwan had enlisted for Mingyu's help to carry the tree from the ground floor, refusing help from the courier that had sent the tree over. Might as well put those muscles to use, for free labour.)

Meeting Room 5a just _has_ to be the farthest room down the hallway, but it's the biggest space in the building (apart from President Moon's office) - just perfect for an office gathering. Mingyu does most of the grunt work, carrying the faux tree with all his might, as Seungkwan places a finger on a leaf to make it look like he's helping. He still has to unlock the door, and digs deep inside his pocket for the clunky key he'd gotten from Security. 

The room smells musty from prolonged disuse, and Mingyu sneezes when he enters. Seungkwan makes a face, and hands an antibacterial wipe to Mingyu for him to wipe his nose and hands - can’t have his germs on the Christmas tree; the last thing Seungkwan needs is a cold. Flicking the light switch on, Seungkwan saunters into the wide, open space that acts as an event cum meeting room. Large windows, partially covered by dusty curtains, line two sides of the room; offering a fabulous view of the surrounding buildings. And in the corner, there are tables and chairs stacked alongside the wall, which might be useful for the party. 

Seungkwan tells Mingyu where to put the tree - but where exactly would it look good? In the middle of the room, where it would be the grand centrepiece; or in a corner, out of everyone’s way? He can’t make up his mind, and poor Mingyu shifts the giant tree around the room to Seungkwan’s liking, before they finally decide to prop it up in the corner of the room, right by the big windows. 

Mingyu’s shirt is drenched with sweat at the end of it, and he rolls down to the floor, panting. 

“I’ll get you something to drink at the cafe.” Seungkwan says, dusting his hands. 

"Thanks, Seungkwan." Mingyu shoots him a grateful smile as he sits up, showing off a row of pearly white teeth. 

“Come on.” Seungkwan's just about ready to leave, because being in the same space alone with Kim Mingyu gives him the tingles. He leaves ahead of Mingyu, who's taking his sweet, sweet time dawdling. Still, he lets Mingyu out before locking the door, just in case someone decides to sabotage the tree. 

"Look." Mingyu says, exhilarated. He's looking upwards, at the top of the doorframe of Meeting Room 5a, and Seungkwan glances up too, to see what Mingyu is smiling at. “Mistletoe.” 

Of all places, why here…? Seungkwan curses under his breath. He feels hot all over, as he chances a glance at his colleague. Mingyu looks quite… _attractive_ with his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, the top buttons of his shirt undone to reveal the hairless tanned skin of his well-defined pecs… and there's sweat beading near his hairline, tempting Seungkwan to pull out his handkerchief and wipe it away for him - 

Seungkwan turns beet red at the idea, and he crosses his arms over his chest in a huff. “I’m not -” 

“We don’t have to.” Mingyu understands what Seungkwan is insinuating, given the strategic placement of the mistletoe; but he knows how much it makes Seungkwan uncomfortable. “Who started the whole mistletoe thing, anyway?” 

“Captain Kwon. Last year.” Seungkwan replies bitterly. 

The memory of being kissed by Mingyu in front of everyone else rushes back into Seungkwan's mind. It had been chaotic, with the rest of the office egging them on just because they were standing underneath the damned mistletoe. Never one to disappoint, Mingyu twirled Seungkwan into his arms, before planting a great big kiss on his lips. Seungkwan had been too shocked to kiss Mingyu back, but when Mingyu deepened the kiss, he let himself drown into it, wrapping his arms tightly around Mingyu’s neck, reciprocating the intimate gesture. 

Remembering how messy, yet arousing their one and only kiss had been, Seungkwan shudders.

Did he like it? Yes, but he’s not going to tell that to Kim Mingyu. 

They're total opposites, and always at odds, bickering (like an old married couple) down to the most trivial of things. Seungkwan can’t see himself dating Mingyu, of all people, even though Hansol from IT keeps saying that opposites attract. They’d probably spend their days fighting and nagging each other to death, and that’s not Seungkwan’s definition of happiness.

But sometimes, Seungkwan thinks that Mingyu’s like a giant, adorable puppy, who needs lots of care and attention - 

Then Seungkwan would rather get a real puppy, rather than taking care of a whole human being. 

"Seungkwan. Shouldn't we decorate the tree?" Mingyu asks gently, interrupting Seungkwan's scattered thoughts.

"We'll have the other guys do it later." Seungkwan easily dismisses the idea; because he doesn't want to stay here a second longer, alone with Mingyu. Not underneath the mistletoe. 

"Hello, boys!" It's Captain Kwon, walking towards them. Seeing the head of Human Resources, Seungkwan quickly steps away from Mingyu, away from the damned spot under the mistletoe. “Channie told me to come here. He said we’re using Meeting Room 5a for the party?” He does a little wiggle, which makes Mingyu laugh. 

"We just brought the Christmas tree in." Mingyu says, wiping his sweat away with his sleeves. 

"Ooh, I wanna see." Soonyoung stops at the door, right beside Mingyu. He’d noticed the mistletoe, and he grabs Mingyu’s hand to kiss it.

(His lips are reserved for someone else, whose name starts with Jeon and ends with Wonwoo.)

“Oh, flattering, Captain Kwon.” 

“Mistletoe.” Soonyoung waggles his eyebrows at Seungkwan, who rolls his eyes. Screw what Captain Kwon wants to think. 

"I just locked the door." Seungkwan says sharply. He's not going to give the key to Soonyoung, who has a knack of misplacing important things. He also doesn't want to hang around and show the tree to Soonyoung; because Mingyu would probably want to tag along. When those two are together, they're basically Dumb and Dumber, and Seungkwan needs to protect his remaining brain cells to stay ahead of Kim Mingyu, his eternal rival and colleague. 

"Oh. Okay." Captain Kwon's expression falls, but he easily brightens up. "Could you ask Wonwoo to meet me here instead?" 

Mingyu nods. “Okay, boss. Right now?” 

“Yeah.” Soonyoung looks up to the little herb hanging over the door. He’s already imagining what would happen if he gets Wonwoo alone under the mistletoe - forgetting how he’d failed miserably last year, because Wonwoo avoids mistletoe like the plague. 

“You do it, Mingyu.” Seungkwan just wants to go back to his desk to get away from other people. 

“Alright, Boo.” Mingyu gives Seungkwan a wink, before he leaves. "Meet you at the cafe?"

Seungkwan almost forgets his offer to buy Mingyu a drink, but he'd already promised - so he grudgingly presses his lips tightly, and says yes. 

* * *

"Mingyu from Accounting was here. Told me to tell you something about Captain Kwon and Meeting Room 5a." Jihoon relays the message to Wonwoo as he settles down at his desk. Wonwoo had been in the boss’s office for an appraisal, hoping for a pay raise - but with his abysmal general performance throughout the year, he’s not expecting much. 

His sombre mood alleviates at the mention of Soonyoung, a smile automatically forming onto his lips. Soonyoung wants to meet up? It'll be lunchtime in a few, so they can just talk later. 

"The boss wants to see you now." Wonwoo says, settling back into his chair. The cat screensaver on his desktop monitor dissolves into a YouTube page when he touches the mouse - back to watching internet cats until lunch. 

Jihoon straightens his tie, quickly preening himself to make himself presentable. “Not meeting Captain Kwon now?”

“Go see your boyfriend.” Wonwoo teases, plugging in a pair of earphones. 

Jihoon makes a face as he gets up, heading towards Seungcheol’s office. He’s about to knock when Seungcheol opens the door, a smile spreading onto his face when he sees Jihoon. 

“I’ve been expecting you.” 

Jihoon enters the room, wondering which film Seungcheol had stolen that line from. He shoves his hands into his pockets, as Seungcheol goes to sit in his chair, shooting a suggestive smile that Jihoon tries to take with a grain of salt. 

"Am I being appraised, too?" 

"Ah, you're already the best, Jihoonie. You should be sitting here, behind this desk." Seungcheol says. 

Jihoon saunters over to where Seungcheol is, and sits on his lap. Seungcheol smiles at how witty his boyfriend is, and naturally wraps his arms around Jihoon. “I just wanted to see you.”

Jihoon tucks his head underneath Seungcheol’s chin, letting Seungcheol hold him tightly. 

“I hate that you’re going away.” Jihoon says in a tiny voice. He idly threads his fingers into Seungcheol's dark locks, playing with a few strands. “You need to wash your hair.”

“Mm.” Seungcheol isn't listening; he’s busy nuzzling Jihoon’s neck, peppering it with ticklish little kisses. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me." 

Jihoon gets aroused with Seungcheol’s ministrations, and knows it’s inappropriate to step over their professional boundaries at the office. He’d rather sleep with his boss in the privacy of his own home, because he knows that gossip travels fast. “Stay with me tonight?” 

“But my flight’s this evening.”

Jihoon’s eyes widen in surprise, and he leans away to assess Seungcheol’s expression. He’s not joking around, as he always does; and he looks tired, bogged down by work. “Isn’t it tomorrow?” How could Jihoon have mistaken the dates? Is he so wrapped up in his own problems that he doesn’t even know what day it is anymore? 

“I’m sorry. It’s today.” There’s regret in Seungcheol’s voice, as he cups Jihoon’s face to pull him closer. 

A mixture of feelings stir in Jihoon’s chest - anger and disappointment, towards himself - if he’d been less careless, he could’ve spent their moments together properly. Impulsively, he straddles Seungcheol, dragging him into a frenzied kiss. He slides his hands down Seungcheol’s chest to find the sweet spot, rubbing his thumbs onto Seunghceol’s sensitive nipples through the fabric of his shirt. He’s disappointed, and he wants to be spoiled by his boyfriend, stirring up flames of passion in their loins, intimating suggestive thoughts -

Screw professional boundaries. If Jihoon can’t get any dick over the holidays, he might as well get it now. His hands are busy unbuttoning Seungcheol’s shirt, baring his torso so he can trail kisses down Seungcheol’s tummy. But Seungcheol’s busy nibbling on Jihoon's lower lip; his long eyelashes tickling against Jihoon's skin. Wrapped up in a passionate liplock, Jihoon threads his fingers into Seungcheol's dark hair; slowly, sensually grinding their crotches together - 

Seungcheol's the one who parts away slightly first, breathing heavily, as he strokes Jihoon's cheeks. “I love you, Jihoonie.” He mumbles, leaning back to capture another kiss from Jihoon's soft lips. 

"I want you." Impishly, Jihoon starts undoing Seungcheol's belt buckle, all the while adding friction between them - 

“But I have to finish up a few things first.” Seungcheol's words make Jihoon pull away instantly, dropping his seductive subordinate act. 

He dismounts from his position on Seungcheol's lap; fixing his clothes. "I think I'll just go, then." 

The tension in the room shifts in a blink, from passionate desire to sudden distance. 

One minute, things had been getting steamy, but with one ill-timed sentence, Seungcheol had effectively ruined the atmosphere. He doesn't understand why Jihoon's so upset - the business trip had been planned _weeks_ beforehand, and they'd talked about this to straighten things out and made sure that they were on the same page. 

Maybe he'd said something wrong - talking about work during foreplay is a major no-no; but he's absolutely stressed about this big business meeting, because President Moon will behead him if things go wrong. 

Jihoon can't hide the disappointment on his face, and Seungcheol's got half a mind to call President Moon personally and tell him to send someone else to represent the company for the big meeting. Then he can stay here with Jihoon for some bed-breaking lovemaking...

But the rational side of his brain tells him that he has to pull through with this major meeting, though he hates that it's putting a strain on his relationship with Jihoon.

Jihoon’s hurt, but he understands that Seungcheol’s job comes first. He’s got no reason to hang around and distract Seungcheol, so he decides to leave, slowly walking towards the door.. Deep down, he hopes that Seungcheol would stop him just to finish off what they’d started, but he knows that’ll be unlikely; because Seungcheol sees him out. 

"I'll call you when I land." Seungcheol promises, reaching out to hold Jihoon’s hand. "It's only for a few days. I'll be back before you know it. We’ll do something together." 

Jihoon nods, looking at the floor instead. He’s scared of looking into Seungcheol’s eyes; because he’s on the verge of tears, an uncomfortable lump forming in his throat -

He pulls his hand away, breaking their contact, and walks straight past his desk (and a confused Wonwoo) towards the restroom. 

He examines his reflection in the mirror. His cheeks are still flushed from his intimate moment with Seungcheol; his nose as red as a reindeer's, an imminent sign that he's about to cry - 

He twists the tap on and lets the water run, splashing some onto his face. The chilly water shocks his system, and he tries to slow his breathing, flooding positive thoughts into his brain. 

He’s not clingy, nor desperate; and he’s not going to cry. He can survive this Christmas alone. 

The door opens with a creak, startling Jihoon out of his skin. He doesn't _need_ to be caught (almost) crying in the bathroom, and he's about to yell at the intruder to make them leave. 

But it's Seungcheol, already sick with worry over what he'd done to Jihoon; and he strides over to his boyfriend, pulling him into a tender hug. He apologises over and over, stroking Jihoon's hair - and the overbearing affection makes a tear roll down Jihoon's cheek. 

Yes, he understands that Seungcheol has to go off for work. 

But Seungcheol will be back soon, anyway, and they've got the rest of their lives ahead of them - 

He's making a mountain out of a molehill, but it doesn't invalidate his feelings - he's got a right to be upset. 

"Better?" Seungcheol asks, when Jihoon looks up at him with a tiny smile. He can't help but peck those lips, feeling sorry for making Jihoon feel left out during the holidays. He wishes that he could take Jihoon along, but what can he do now? His flight takes off in twelve hours, and last minute flight tickets are almost impossible to get without burning a hole in his pocket - 

Jihoon snuggles into Seungcheol's arms, his favourite place in the whole wide world. 

Forget that they're in the toilets, at work. 

"We've got the rest of the day off." Seungcheol whispers. "Come home with me and help me pack?" 

"Abusing your power, aren't you?" Jihoon smiles against Seungcheol's chest; inhaling deeply to savour Seungcheol's familiar scent. 

Seungcheol chuckles. "We could continue where we left off." He slides his hands down Jihoon's back, giving his backside a little pinch. 

Jihoon pulls back slightly to lock his eyes with Seungcheol. "I'm topping you this time." 

"As you wish." 

* * *

Meeting Room 5a is only half decorated, and the office Christmas party is supposed to begin in three hours, at noon. Everything is a mess; nothing seems to be done, but Chan’s to-do list for the party keeps getting longer. A bare Christmas tree sits in the corner, while empty tables line the room. There’s a lot to be done, and they’re working down to the last minute to make this party a success. 

Hansol's struggling to wind tinsel around the giant tree, while Seungkwan holds up one end, complaining about Mingyu (as usual.) 

"After that, we went to the cafe and he bought _three_ bottles of water, two iced americanos and an iced blended frappuccino with extra whipped cream, all for himself! Just because I said I'd treat him after carrying the Christmas tree." Seungkwan’s relieving memories from the other, when he’d promised to buy coffee for Mingyu. He had spent more than he'd intended, and he’s not happy about that, because now he has to redo his budget. 

"That's nice," Hansol comments, barely listening to Seungkwan's nagging. "Could you wind that end towards the other side of the tree?"

Seungkwan does it, but he doesn't stop talking. "My point is, he _took advantage_ of me!"

"You did say you were gonna pay for his drink." Hansol says, draping a length of tinsel over his side of the tree. 

"He bought _several_ drinks!" Seungkwan emphasises. 

"Did he finish all of them?"

Seungkwan is quiet for a few seconds. "...yes. And he gave me one of his iced americanos."

Hansol stares at Seungkwan with his brows knitted, like he's about to say something else, but he turns away to dig for other ornaments to hang on the tree. 

Seungkwan sighs. Sometimes talking to Hansol can be frustrating, because no one knows how his mind works. He’s not even paying attention anymore, weighing between two baubles to put on the tree. One is green, and the other is blue… “Which one looks better?” 

“Just put the both of them on the tree.” Seungkwan says in a tired voice, abandoning his task to helping Hansol, who seems too invested in decorating the bloody tree to be sympathetic to his Mingyu-shaped pains and tribulations. He needs a breather, because he’s annoyed at the world right now, so he goes to stand in the middle of the room, watching everyone else work. 

Minghao is setting his laptop up at the side of the room, playing suitable Christmas songs over the speakers he’d wired up early that morning. Seokmin and Chan aren't in the room, picking up some more supplies with Captain Kwon, and Seungkwan notices that one person isn’t here yet. 

“Where the hell is Kim Mingyu?” 

As if on cue, Mingyu enters the room carrying containers of homemade food for the party. He’s wearing a reindeer onesie that’s too short for him, because the pant legs hang inches above his ankle. He looks absolutely… ridiculous, Seungkwan decides, though the onesie looks warm and comfortable. 

Chan trails behind Mingyu with more food, setting them on the tables arranged by the far wall. At least he’s dressed normally, so Seungkwan can’t comment about it, but he’s picked his target.

"Kim Mingyu. Why are you dressed like a reindeer?" 

Mingyu almost drops the container he’s holding, "I thought we were all supposed to dress up."

“It’s an _office_ party, not a sleepover.” 

“Even Minghao dressed up. He's an elf, look."

Seungkwan glances at the IT executive, who's wearing a green, pointy hat. "I can see that." 

"I think Captain Kwon has more of those reindeer headbands." Mingyu suggests. "You could ask him for one." 

“I don’t _need_ a reindeer headband.” Seungkwan says, crossing his arms over his chest. 

"Merry Christmas, everyone!" Seokmin bursts into the room, wearing a reindeer onesie that matches Mingyu's. He's carrying an extra box of decorations, skipping over to where Hansol is struggling with the tree, and starts to help him out. 

Mingyu gives Seungkwan a look that says _see, everyone’s all dressed up, even Seokmin and I are matching -_ to which Seungkwan just scowls at, because he dislikes it when Mingyu is right. 

Soonyoung saunters into the room, wearing a reindeer headband and a bright red reindeer nose. He sees Seokmin, and tilts his head in confusion. "Aren't you supposed to be Santa?" 

"Am I?" Seokmin looks genuinely surprised, as if he'd never heard of that idea at all.

"We can all be reindeers.” Hansol the pacifist chips in his two cents as he hangs up reindeer-shaped ornaments onto the tree. “Seungkwan needs a reindeer headband, Captain Kwon.” 

Soonyoung drifts over to the accountant, handing him one with a bright smile. Seungkwan accepts it begrudgingly, but he doesn’t wear it immediately, gripping the headgear so tightly that his knuckles turn white. 

Meanwhile, Minghao helps Mingyu arrange the food spread on a side table so it looks presentable. He’s amazed at how much food there is, and the delicious scent wafting from each container makes him feel hungry. "Did you cook all of this yourself?"

Mingyu nods, trying to stifle a yawn. He'd woken up extra early to cook the whole menu - regretting it a bit, because had to sacrifice some sleep - and the onesie he's wearing is as warm as a blanket. If he had the chance to sit down, he'd probably doze off; but he's excited to see what everyone would say about his cooking, especially seasoned foodie Seungkwan. "I hope everyone likes it." 

Minghao gives his friend an encouraging smile, before yelling out for everyone in the room to hear: "Guys, we forgot the utensils!"

(So much for a touching bromance moment.)

“I’m on it!” Chan's about to hurry out of the room to borrow some from the cafeteria, but Soonyoung stops him, placing fake reindeer antlers on his head.

"Now you look super festive." Soonyoung says, proud of his work. Apart from Minghao, who looks like an elf, everyone else resembles reindeers. He slings an arm around Chan's shoulders, smiling proudly at the scene before them. All of this has been Chan's leadership and hard work, turning plans into reality; and Soonyoung's proud at how much Chan has matured ever since he stepped into the company as a fresh-faced intern. "I'm proud of you, Channie. Thank you for organising this party."

Chan lets out a laugh, trying to appear nonchalant. "It's really no big deal."

"The deco is excellent, and the Christmas tree is bigger than Mingyu." Soonyoung comments, watching Hansol hang random ornaments onto its branches. "It's nice to see you kids work as a team, you all truly embody the spirit of togetherness."

"Thank you, Captain Kwon." Chan mumbles, plotting ways to get away from his boss. 

"I have one concern, though." Soonyoung's tone turns from its natural cheerful disposition to his serious I'm-in-a-board-meeting-with-President-Moon voice. "Will you hang mistletoe?" 

Chan's at a loss for words, and he racks his brain trying to formulate an appropriate answer: "No."

Soonyoung lets out a sigh - that had been his last chance to try out the matchmaking Mistletoe Method (which had worked for Seungcheol and Jihoon last Christmas) with Wonwoo - he still believes that it's the only way he can ask for kisses from the lanky marketing executive in a socially acceptable setting. 

"There's one outside the door." Chan adds, to placate Soonyoung. "But now if you'll excuse me, I have a few more things to do."

Soonyoung lets Chan off, and walks to the big windows, trying to peer outside, through the ice-frosted glass. Winter has truly descended on the city, rainwater crystallising into snow, and the world is slowly blanketed by a thin layer of soft, white fluff. 

The light snowfall evokes memories from last year - a snowball fight in an unfamiliar neighbourhood. Pelting Wonwoo with snowballs, and falling onto the snow, where Wonwoo had confessed to his true feelings. 

Kissing Wonwoo. 

Spending the holidays all snuggled up in Wonwoo's flat, watching movies. 

It seems like a fever dream; a memory so distant that it doesn't feel real anymore. 

Maybe it's just Soonyoung's muddled mind, clouded by his long-standing crush on Wonwoo; telling him that it had really happened. 

Or maybe it did happen. They'd started too quickly, and the spark between them had fizzled out by the time the new year rolled around - they never talked about their holiday make-out session; letting it hang between them, an unresolved tension. Initially, it had been awkward for both of them, skirting around the idea of what could have been: could they be a power couple like Seungcheol and Jihoon? The idea of them getting together officially drove a wedge between them; neither brave enough to take a leap of faith and open the door to what could be a beautiful relationship - 

But they mended their professional relationship as colleagues; slowly getting closer over the months, until they could be comfortable around each other, without mention of what had happened last Christmas. 

Soonyoung finds himself back at square one, admiring Wonwoo secretly, and finding new things to love everyday. He's aware of the intense gaze Wonwoo gives him whenever he speaks - he only has to hope that Wonwoo's heart hasn't changed since his confession…

Maybe this Christmas will be another miracle for him; and they'll finally, properly, officially be boyfriends. He'd even prepared a little gift for Wonwoo, too. 

The fire in his heart burns a bit brighter, fuelled with hope for the best things to come. No matter what happens, he knows he won't regret it.

* * *

Jihoon regrets coming into the office today. Seungcheol has flown off to Singapore, taking the overnight flight; and he’d landed early that morning, when Jihoon was still in bed. He should’ve taken leave and stayed home, so he could snuggle in the blankets, which still smells faintly like Seungcheol. A smattering of snow had descended onto the world last night, replacing the rain; another good reason that he should've stayed home.

But no, he has to be a responsible adult and go to work, and he’s not too happy about it. He arrives early to the office, and he barely looks up from his computer when Wonwoo walks in. 

It seems like they’re the only ones in the Marketing department today, because everyone else is smart and has gone off for the holidays. A couple of silent hours pass by as they sit quietly at their desks, minding their own business. At one point, Wonwoo talks over the phone in a hushed tone, but apart from that, the two of them are in their own little worlds. 

At eleven AM on the dot, Wonwoo rolls over to Jihoon’s desk in his chair, probably wanting a little chat. Jihoon tears himself away from the cooking videos he’d been binging on all morning to entertain his friend, who looks excited for some reason. 

"Here's your gift, Jihoon. I'm your secret santa." Wonwoo slides a long, brown envelope towards his friend. 

"But the party's not until later." Jihoon says. They'll only have the secret santa reveal at the party, where everyone tries to guess who gave them the gifts. He knows that much, because Chan keeps sending them email reminders about the gift exchange. 

"Just open it now." Wonwoo insists.

Jihoon raises his eyebrows in surprise when he sees what's inside the envelope. "How did you get a last-minute _business class_ flight ticket to Singapore?" 

"I pulled a few strings." His brother works for an airline company, and it only took one phone call and a bribe for Wonwoo to obtain the ticket for a ridiculously cheap amount. 

Jihoon’s speechless, staring at the flight ticket in his hands, which as his name printed in bold on it. He’s trying to digest it - he still can’t quite believe it. Is he still in bed, dreaming? 

"Your flight to Singapore is this evening." Wonwoo says, breaking into Jihoon’s thoughts, pulling him back into the real world. 

"So it is."

"You don't have to spend Christmas with us." 

"I can go see Cheol." The realisation hits Jihoon like a tidal wave, and he stands up immediately. Seungcheol would be preparing for his Important Meeting right now, but he'll spend a few more days in the city-state for a little tour, courtesy of the local company that they're trying to collaborate with. With the airline ticket Wonwoo had gotten him for the gift exchange, he can spend the holidays with Seungcheol in an exotic country - seeing the sights and sampling local food and culture. 

He doesn't have to sit here and wait for nothing, because he has to get home and pack for his impromptu trip. He wonders what Seungcheol would think when he shows up - but it’ll be a nice surprise for him, too. All thanks to Wonwoo, who truly is a precious friend. 

Quickly clearing his desk and grabbing his personal belongings, Jihoon's all set to leave for the holidays. He grabs the paper bag containing his secret santa gift for Seokmin from Reception - which he'll give on his way out - and leaves the office at that second without even looking back. He only stops for a second to shoot a grateful smile at his friend. "Hey, Wonwoo?"

"Yeah?" Wonwoo looks up, adjusting his glasses, which are slipping down the bridge of his nose. It's nice to do something nice for someone else for a change; and the joy emanating from Jihoon makes him feel happy, too. 

"Good luck with Captain Kwon." 

Wonwoo smiles back at his friend, a hint of a blush painting his cheeks. "Thanks, buddy."

* * *

Noon. 

The time when the office Christmas party is supposed to start, and guests might just walk into Meeting Room 5a at any given moment… 

Chan's nervous as hell, and he can't have drinks, because he's _technically_ still at work. What he had been working on for the past week, alongside his usual daily tasks, finally coming into fruition. 

All of this, achieved by his own hand, with everyone's help of course - the grand (off)centerpiece, the Christmas tree standing majestically; the home cooked buffet spread; Minghao playing a tasteful selection of holiday songs; and the highlight of the party: the secret santa gift exchange. 

He should kick back and enjoy the party, because his work is done. Yet he visibly turns pale when he sees Vice President Sir Joshua stride in, wondrously wide-eyed at the festive setup in the room. 

Meanwhile, his boss Captain Kwon already seems drunk without even drinking; because he's screaming at the top of his lungs as the rest of their guests shuffle into Meeting Room 5a after Vice President Sir Joshua. "ARE YOU READY TO PARTY???"

Jeonghan from PR laughs at Soonyoung's antics, surprised with the overly enthusiastic welcome. He directs Vice President Sir Joshua towards the food buffet, because it's lunchtime, and everyone is hungry. 

Mingyu's heart almost drops to the floor when he sees who would sample his food first. Just the vice president of the whole company and his supposed best friend (or more?), who both have a knack for criticism, especially Jeonghan, the office's notorious sharp tongued devil - his niche, and the reason he leads the PR department. 

"You're super pale. You okay?" 

Mingyu automatically clings to whoever is addressing him; only that he doesn't realise it's Seungkwan. "I'm scared no one will like my food." 

Seungkwan rolls his eyes, because he's about to give a pep talk to a guy wearing a reindeer onesie. "First of all, you were the one who volunteered to cook for all of us. Second, you're a really good cook; and third, you still look absolutely ridiculous in that reindeer outfit but I can forgive you for it; so chin up and be happy that we're all going to have yummy food, thanks to you." 

"They're taking the pasta." Mingyu whispers loudly, gripping Seungkwan's arm even tighter. He'd barely listened to Seungkwan's little speech, because his eyes are glued onto Vice President Sir Joshua and Jeonghan from Public Relations; and he almost forgets to breathe. 

"They seem to like it, Mingyu." Seungkwan says, watching the pair as they shovel another mouthful into their mouths. Awe etches across Vice President Sir Joshua's face, and he waves Soonyoung over for a little chat, who shoots a happy smile and thumbs up towards Mingyu. 

"I'm just glad." The taller man envelopes Seungkwan into a bear (reindeer?!) hug. Surprisingly, Seungkwan returns the gesture, wrapping his arms around Mingyu's waist. 

"Apparently Vice President Sir Joshua gets impressed very easily, so his opinion doesn't really matter." Seungkwan says, breaking the embrace. He walks over to the buffet table, joining the noticeably short line. Mingyu stays by his side, breaking into a sudden sweat - Seungkwan's putting a little bit of everything onto his plate, like he's a judge at a cooking competition. 

He takes a spoonful of each dish, tasting them carefully; keeping his expression as neutral as possible to tease poor Mingyu's heart. 

"How is it, Seungkwan?" Mingyu asks when Seungkwan has sampled each dish. He's on the verge of having an aneurysm - if Seungkwan hates his cooking, he's going to resign from his job and move to France to enrol in culinary school so he can cook the best dishes for Seungkwan. 

Mingyu holds his breath, his heart drumming loudly in his ears as Seungkwan looks up to address him, searching for the proper words to describe his feelings. 

"So you like it?" Mingyu asks breathlessly, clasping Seungkwan's hands. 

"No, I absolutely hate it, Kim Mingyu, and I want you to poison me with more of your cooking." Seungkwan says sarcastically. He pauses for effect, before breaking into a smile. "They're all very tasty. Well done." 

Mingyu shouts with joy, throwing his arms around Seungkwan's neck, dragging him into yet another hug. 

"You should cook for me sometime." Seungkwan quips. 

"Definitely!" Mingyu launches into a long winded description of the menu he can cook for Seungkwan, who actually listens to him for once, with an amused smile; trying to ignore the fluttery feeling in his tummy. **  
**

"That's weird. Seungkwan and Mingyu are actually having a civil conversation with each other." Minghao says, goggling at the unlikely pair. He's good friends with Mingyu, who’s voiced his concern over his somewhat strained relationship with co-worker Seungkwan. Every now and then, they’d break into some dramatic argument about some tiny thing, but now, it’s a miracle he’s witnessing with his own eyes. They’re smiling and grabbing onto each other as they dissolve into laughter about whatever is driving their happiness, and Minghao is just glad for them. 

Seokmin shushes him, eyes trailing after Soonyoung, who's finally gathered enough courage to talk to Wonwoo. "Look, Captain Kwon and Jeon Wonwoo at three o'clock." Another topic of gossip that’s constantly going around the office - it’s widely known that Soonyoung and Wonwoo had been on the verge of getting together last year, but it never happened; and now they’re watching it in real time. Seokmin wishes he had some popcorn for munchies, because real-life drama is unfolding right there, right now - and he doesn’t know where to look: he might just go cross-eyed trying to look at Seungkwan and Mingyu; and Soonyoung and Wonwoo at once. 

What a party!

Soonyoung doesn't even realise that he's got an audience as he approaches Wonwoo. He feels like he's walking on air, and Wonwoo stands out from everyone else, sporting a festive red beret that matches his warm burgundy sweater. He looks absolutely cuddly, and it takes all of Soonyoung's inner will to stop himself from pouncing onto Wonwoo in a flash. 

"Hey." Wonwoo smiles at him, making his insides melt. "Cool party." 

"Nah, Channie did all this with the other guys." 

"The food's good." Wonwoo pops some chicken into his mouth. 

"Mingyu made it." Soonyoung says through a fake smile - he doesn't want to talk about their colleagues. Time for a quick topic change. "I like your hat, Wonwoo." Soonyoung compliments, trying to keep his voice level. 

"Thank you. Those reindeer ears are cute." Wonwoo replies smoothly. How can he be so calm, when Soonyoung feels like he's going to crumble down into pieces when he's around Wonwoo? 

Soonyoung touches the fake antlers on his head, blushing slightly, but he sees Seokmin prancing around in his onesie from the corner of his eye. "Everyone's dressed as one, though. I swear I told Seokmin to become Santa." 

"Well, _reindeers are better than people."_ Wonwoo quips, making a reference to Soonyoung's current obsession: _Frozen_ ; and Soonyoung can't help but let out a laugh, which makes his red reindeer nose fall off.

Soonyoung’s flustered, and he gets on his knee to grab the runaway nose, which rolls a distance away from him. It’s a bit dirty now, and he’s not going to pop it back on his nose, so he stuffs it into his pocket instead.

“I hope no one saw that.” Soonyoung flushes red with embarrassment. 

“It’s okay. Nobody _nose._ ” 

Soonyoung can’t help but snicker at the lame pun. If it had been someone else, he probably would’ve punched their guts out, but it’s Wonwoo, who’s tall and smart and has the best lame jokes than everyone else that Soonyoung would never get embarrassed at. **  
**

“Can you guys stop flirting for a sec? We’re gonna do the secret santa reveal.” Minghao calls out, getting sick of the _punny_ conversation between Soonyoung and Wonwoo. Seokmin nudges him, annoyed, because he still wants to watch the exchange. 

"But not everyone is here." Chan jumps in, hearing Minghao's sudden announcement. He starts doing a quick head count; and there are only ten out of twelve confirmed attendees - only Jihoon and Junhui aren’t here yet. Maybe they’ll turn up soon; though Chan has an odd feeling about Jihoon, who certainly would have come to the party with Wonwoo, since they work in the same department. As for Moon Junhui, he’s notorious for being late to just about everything (according to Captain Kwon), so maybe they could wait for him, and enjoy more Mingyu’s delicious food. 

Chan does a quick scan of the room, soaking in the convivial aura. Everyone is enjoying themselves; eating and socialising, and he thinks that now would be a good time to step back and chill, and grab some food before it runs out. He heads over to the buffet, taking a plate as he surveys the mouth-watering spread, thinking that he’s going to have a bit of everything...

"Sorry, I'm late!" Right then, young company heir Moon Junhui bursts through the doors, breathless; clutching a paper bag in his hand. “Have we started?” 

“Just on time, Mr Moon.” Soonyoung skips over to him, playing host; as Chan abandons his idea of having some food. “We’re about to begin the gift exchange.” 

Junhui grins, dusting snowflakes off his coat. “Nice. I have excellent timing.” Chan quickly takes Junhui aside to handle his gift for the exchange, putting a sticker with the recipient's name for them to guess later, even though it's already a bit obvious.

"I have something to say," Seokmin walks over to the middle of the room; all eyes on him. “Jihoon’s my secret santa. He already gave me my present, before he left just now.”

"Where did he go?" Only then, Soonyoung realises that former alien android from Marketing is missing, because he'd been too fixated on Wonwoo. 

Seokmin shrugs. "He seemed like he was in a hurry to leave, so I didn't bother to ask." 

Wonwoo smiles to himself, not bothered to tell everyone that Jihoon had left. They’ll figure it out by themselves, eventually, because his boss Seungcheol regularly posts about Jihoon on his social media. 

“Where’s Jihoon’s present, though?” Chan asks, counting the gifts, and cross checking names. 

Wonwoo’s not going to expose himself, so he keeps quiet. 

“His secret santa probably can give it to him soon.” Seokmin reasons, already eyeing the pile of presents. He's excited to see what he'll get, and the mystery of the gift giver makes it even more thrilling -

"Can I start off first?" Company heir Moon Junhui volunteers. There's a variety of wrapped gifts, all labelled with its recipients. He hopes that his gift would be the bulky box sitting at the bottom of the pile, so he's disappointed to get an envelope, which is elaborately decorated with stickers. He rips it open, and finds a gift card inside. All this, for a measly gift card? 

"Thank you, secret santa." Junhui says, fixing a forced smile on his face. He scans the room, and everyone is looking at him; but he can't figure out who would give him, a young company heir, a measly gift card for Christmas.. "Let me guess. Is it you, Yoon Jeonghan?" 

The PR executive shakes his head. 

Junhui squints at the gift card, as if it holds the answer. Only then he realises that it's a gift card for a renowned electrical appliances store… which means he can buy the hot dog grill he'd been eyeing since last summer! 

"Take a guess, Mr Moon." Soonyoung prompts, laughing at the way Seokmin is squirming. The receptionist is wrecked with nerves, and Moon Junhui's lukewarm reaction to the gift unsettles him.

Junhui gives up guessing with a nonchalant shrug - he already wants to run over to the store and use his gift card, so he can grill hotdogs on Christmas morning!

Seokmin steps up, smiling shyly. "I'm your secret santa, Mr Moon." 

"Thanks, man. I appreciate it a lot." Junhui is all smiles now, and he puts an arm around Seokmin's shoulders. "You should come round and have hot dogs with me tomorrow." 

"Okay." Innocent Seokmin isn't sure if Moon Junhui is teasing him with some kind of obscure innuendo, and he rushes over to Seungkwan for a quick consultation as Vice President Sir Joshua hunts for his gift in the secret santa pile. 

It turns out to be the large box Moon Junhui had been lusting for, and everyone starts whispering, wondering what it could be. Delicately, Vice President Sir Joshua unwraps the gift, to reveal a box of vitamins - enough supply for three years.

"Boo Seungkwan. It's you." Vice President Sir Joshua guesses correctly, because everyone knows who the biggest health nut is in the room. 

"Merry Christmas, and happy birthday, Vice President." Seungkwan shakes Vice President Sir Joshua’s hand, smiling. 

The gift exchange continues; each guest stepping up one by one to claim their present, before guessing the identity of their secret santa. More often than not, there are a couple of failed guesses, bringing up some raucous banter and teasing, which adds to the Christmas cheer. 

Soon, it's Wonwoo's turn. The present pile has clearly dwindled down in size - especially after Vice President Sir Joshua took the biggest box - so it's easier for him to find his gift, encased in a fancy paper bag. 

He's conscious that everyone is watching him, so he quickly tears the flimsy tape holding the top of the paper bag. Reaching inside, he takes his gift out for a (somewhat) dramatic reveal… 

It's a cat stuffie. 

"Who do you think it is?" Seokmin prompts. 

Wonwoo looks at the plush toy he's holding; and he finds it quite adorable, which reminds him of someone. And only one person in the room knows how much he loves cats. 

"...Soonyoung?" Wonwoo blurts out without thinking, letting his heart take over his brain; even though he'd seen Moon Junhui carrying the bag in his fashionably late entrance to the party. 

"It's me!" Junhui appears by Wonwoo's side. "But Soonyoung did help me, he was the one who suggested it." 

"Thank you." Wonwoo says to the company heir graciously, though he manages to peek at Soonyoung. "It's adorable." 

Junhui gives Wonwoo a friendly pat on the back as they walk back to the sidelines. Wonwoo's got this sudden urge to talk to Soonyoung, just to ask him about how he suggested the gift to Moon Junhui, but the gift exchange is still ongoing, so he'll hold out until later. 

"This one is mine." Mingyu picks up a silver paper bag that has his name written on it. There's a handwritten message inside, written in the most illegible penmanship in the whole country, that Mingyu struggles to read. "From your secret santa, Kwon Soonyoung." 

Groans and annoyed mutters arise from the guests, because Mingyu doesn't have to guess anymore; the identity of his secret santa is revealed in the attached note. 

Wonwoo, on the other hand, smiles to himself at Soonyoung's idiocy, watching the HR executive approach Mingyu to give him a friendly hug. 

Mingyu takes out a tiny velvet box out of the bag, and all the colour drains away from Wonwoo's face. He already knows what's inside - what else can fit inside it, apart from a ring? 

His eyes meet Soonyoung's, who has a markedly panicked expression on his face. Mingyu's already opening the box, revealing its content to the world, and confirming Wonwoo's suspicions - it's a plain silver band sitting on a cushion, glinting under the bright lights of the room. 

Chaos ascends. A collective gasp from their onwatching colleagues, and Soonyoung starts stuttering an incomprehensible explanation as Mingyu looks on with a confused expression, trying to make sense of it. 

Shocked and speechless, a million thoughts collide in Wonwoo's mind. What is the ring supposed to imply? Had he read all the signals from Soonyoung wrongly, and Soonyoung had somehow moved on to bumbling Mingyu? 

Disappointment wrapped up with insecurity clouds Wonwoo's thoughts; and he can't bear to see the man he loves almost-proposing to some other guy at the office party, abusing the gift exchange, no less. Everyone loves Mingyu, anyway - maybe he has something that Wonwoo doesn't, somehow snaking his way into Soonyoung's fickle heart. 

He could wait for an explanation from Soonyoung, but he can't stand being in the room anymore; the tension is wound so tightly that his heart might just bleed if anyone utters a single word to him. 

Everything happens at once; Seungkwan marches up to Mingyu, slapping him so hard that the force makes the 6'2" man topple to the floor. Wonwoo flees the scene, letting his legs take him as far as possible, ignoring Soonyoung's pleading cries for him to wait. Everyone else looks on, as Seokmin and Hansol rush over to restrain Seungkwan, whose anger is raging like a bushfire - 

Wonwoo doesn't stay to see Seungkwan yelling incoherent profanities towards Mingyu; because his chest his heaving, his vision is blurry and his throat feels like it's stuffed with cotton. 

He's got no reason to stay, and he doesn't want the whole office to witness his breakdown. He quickly goes back to his desk to grab his coat, then he clocks out without thinking of the consequences. It's time for him to go home, and nurse his broken heart. 

There has to be a rational explanation for this, but all Wonwoo wants to do now is quit his job and move as far away as possible so he can forget about Kwon Soonyoung. 

What had Soonyoung been thinking - but that's a mystery that continues to be unsolved; and Wonwoo's not going to be a detective to figure it out. 

Who gives a colleague a ring? 

Surprisingly, Kwon Soonyoung does. 

The chilly late December air tickles his nose, and fogs his glasses. He gives his glasses a quick wipe, not realising that a tear is streaming down his cheek. 

Maybe this Christmas won't be the best for Wonwoo, so he hopes that at the very least, Jihoon would have a better holiday than him.

* * *

“Cheol.”

“Jihoonie? What’s going on?” Seungcheol instantly recognises the urgency in Jihoon's voice - he instantly assumes that something is wrong. He'd been poring over some paperwork, preparing for tomorrow's big meeting, even though he really wants to nap on the king-sized bed that is the centerpiece of his luxurious hotel suite. 

“I'm at the airport now. Which hotel are you staying in again?” 

Seungcheol almost drops his phone in surprise. “Aren't you at the office party?” 

“No. But I’m coming to you.” Jihoon says vaguely. 

"What?" Seungcheol's confused with Jihoon's lack of explanation. 

“I’ll see you in ten hours.”

"Jihoonie, wait. I'm in a whole different country. What do you mean?" 

"Wonwoo got me a flight ticket for secret santa, so now I can spend the holidays with you after you finish your meeting. My flight is this evening, maybe I'll arrive around midnight." 

Seungcheol's speechless at the sudden bomb Jihoon had dropped. Amidst the marketing facts and figures that had been in his mind, he's trying to digest the fact that his boyfriend is actually coming over to join him in Singapore, just like he’d imagined. 

"Now tell me where you're staying. I'm bringing condoms." 

Seungcheol blushes at how dominant Jihoon is, and it takes him a second to remember the correct address of the swanky hotel he's staying in for the next few days. 

"Okay." Jihoon tucks that piece of information safely in his mind. He'd packed extra light for the impromptu trip (figuring that he doesn't need to wear clothes around Seungcheol), so all he has to do is get past immigration and board the plane to be in Seungcheol's arms again. "I'll see you soon." 

"Right." Seungcheol swallows his dry throat - the imminent idea of making love in a foreign country is much more interesting than the boring meeting. "Love you." 

Jihoon hangs up. Leaning back in his seat, Seungcheol lets out a happy sigh, looking out the window to appreciate Singapore's modern city skyline. All thoughts of preparing for tomorrow's meeting fly away, because he can't wait to see Jihoon again. He'd been doubting himself lately, wondering if he'd been selfish to prioritise work instead of his relationship with Jihoon.

Jihoon, who's always so hardworking and understanding; and shows his affection through fond touches and affirming words. Jihoon, who's showing how much he's committed in this year-old relationship so they can go beyond the years. 

Maybe Seungcheol needs to step back and think about how he can return Jihoon's precious love. He knows he needs to put in a bit more effort to balance out their relationship, because he feels like he's still lacking, while it seems like Jihoon's giving his all. 

Abandoning his work, he gets dressed up go head to the store; because he's got an idea of how to celebrate Christmas with his lover. 

If Jihoon's bringing something sexy (condoms), then he'll get the sweetest thing he can possibly think of. 

Like cola, Jihoon's favourite. 

Stepping out into the hot and humid Singaporean weather - a surprise from the usual snow white Christmas he's accustomed to - Seungcheol makes a little Christmas wish to the nutcracker standing guard at the front of the hotel door: for Jihoon, he'll be the best boyfriend ever. 

* * *

Wonwoo thinks that he probably won't leave his apartment for Christmas. He'll lock himself in until next year, and maybe think about transferring to a different company because he can't imagine being in the same building as Soonyoung; not after what he'd done at the secret santa gift exchange. 

He'd spent the whole afternoon soaking in the bath, replaying that scene repeatedly in his mind, that his skin has turned all wrinkly. He’s got a lot of questions for Soonyoung, but he'd made up his mind to never speak to the HR executive anymore. 

Now that he's hungry, he gets up from the bathtub and dries himself off, before pulling on a fluffy white robe. 

Scratch the idea of staying in; he needs sustenance. 

If Jihoon had still been in town, Wonwoo probably would've invited him out for drinks, so he can forget. 

But screw it. He can go alone. He's going to drink himself into a stupor that he won't even remember Kwon Soonyoung's name, or his squishy face, or his cute little laugh or the way his shoulders does a funky wiggle when he eats something tasty - 

The doorbell rings as Wonwoo's getting dressed in his best party clothes - jeans with a fitted shirt and a nice blazer - and he curses under his breath. 

Maybe if he ignores it, the person will go away eventually, so he won't have to deal with it. 

But the bell rings incessantly that Wonwoo already knows who's at the door. His feet automatically walks him over to the intercom, even though his brain is screaming at him to ignore it. His irrational heart is acting in place of his rational brain, and he longs to see/hear/touch Soonyoung one more time. 

"Wonwoo?" Of course he recognises that voice.

"Mm." 

"It's me." 

Kwon Soonyoung. 

He wants to ask, _what took you so long_? Why did Soonyoung take hours to look for Wonwoo to explain himself - does he even owe Wonwoo an explanation? They aren't even in a relationship, so of course Wonwoo doesn't have a right to be jealous over who Soonyoung is dating. 

"Can we talk?"

Wonwoo hesitates, before he finally gives in. "Okay." He opens the door for Soonyoung, who stands there sheepishly, like he's guilty of something. Gone are the reindeer ears and nose, replaced by a worrisome expression on Soonyoung's adorable face. 

"How are you?" Soonyoung asks, as he steps into Wonwoo's apartment. 

Wonwoo shrugs. He's not okay, but he's not a wreck either - almost coming to terms with the fact that he and Soonyoung are probably never meant to be. Maybe Soonyoung deserves someone happy-go-lucky, like Mingyu from Accounting. Wonwoo feels like he's too much of a wallflower to be with someone as fun as Soonyoung, who has endless energy being the most capricious person on this side of the planet. 

Soonyoung instantly makes himself at home, dropping onto the couch where they'd made out last Christmas. "Are you going out?"

"Maybe." Wonwoo replies shortly. 

"Oh." 

A moment of silence passes, as neither of them know how to continue the conversation. Clearly, Soonyoung's skirting around the elephant in the room with his pointless small talk, made even more awkward with Wonwoo's stilted answers. 

"What do you want, Captain Kwon?" Wonwoo addresses Soonyoung with his formal (yet ridiculous) title, to let Soonyoung know that he doesn't want to keep playing around. They're adults, after all - 

Soonyoung wrings his hands. "I owe you an explanation. Will you sit down?" He pats the empty space on the couch.

"I prefer to stand. Go ahead." Wonwoo crosses his arms over his chest, wondering where this conversation is going. Part of him wants to forgive Soonyoung unconditionally, but he's intrigued by what Soonyoung has to say. 

"What happened at the party earlier… Mingyu's gift was a mistake." Soonyoung starts. "That wasn't for him. I got him a bracelet instead. Somehow I got the gifts mixed up, and I'm sorry it turned out to be like that." 

The same fleeting question passes through Wonwoo's mind again: _who gives their colleagues jewelry for Christmas?_

Kwon Soonyoung does. 

"And the other thing…" Soonyoung pats his pocket, just to make sure it's still there - then he pulls the small velvet box Wonwoo had seen in Mingyu's hands at the party.

“This is for you.” Soonyoung kneels on one knee right before Wonwoo, proffering him the shiny silver band nestled in the velvet box. 

Wonwoo’s speechless, and he's frozen in his spot. 

When did this turn into a fucking proposal? 

"See? It has your initials engraved on it." Soonyoung hurriedly points to the inner surface when Wonwoo doesn't take the ring immediately. 

Three letters. JWW for Jeon Wonwoo. Followed by another three letters.. 

KSY. 

Kwon Soonyoung. 

Wonwoo finds himself eye-to-eye with Soonyoung, and he sees nothing unparalleled sincerity reflected in Soonyoung's dark irises. 

“I’ve been wanting to ask you to be my boyfriend. Like a real boyfriend." Soonyoung's voice trembles a little, and Wonwoo reaches out to hold Soonyoung's hand. 

"Then why didn't you ask last year, after…" Wonwoo doesn't have to say it, because Soonyoung already understands, even chancing a glance at the couch that holds their shared memories. 

"I don't know. I got scared. Like I was pushing some kind of professional boundary between us." Soonyoung says quietly, absently caressing Wonwoo's long, bony fingers. 

"Speaking of professional boundaries, I'm pretty sure half the office are dating each other after your mistletoe stunt last year." Wonwoo quips.

"Like Mr Choi and Jihoon?" 

Wonwoo nods, blanching at the thought of his colleagues. They're probably going to enjoy the holidays together, now that Wonwoo has sent Jihoon towards Seungcheol's way - **  
**

"You were kinda busy in the first quarter, too." Soonyoung adds - working for the same company, they'd had more than enough chances to get together as a couple, so it's surprising that they've gotten this far, and are still friends. 

Wonwoo grips Soonyoung's hand tighter. "Let's just stop blaming the past and try again." 

Soonyoung nods, fumbling with the velvet box to display the ring; before he kneels again. "Be my boyfriend, Jeon Wonwoo?" 

"Yes, Kwon Soonyoung." Wonwoo doesn't hesitate a moment more, and tears begin filling in his eyes - 

Soonyoung smiles brighter than the sun, which makes Wonwoo's heart leap into the stratosphere. The moment they'd both been waiting for since forever; finally, finally getting it right. 

Soonyoung slides the ring onto Wonwoo’s pinky; and it's a perfect fit. As Wonwoo admires the ring - its simplicity, its craftsmanship - he notices Soonyoung holding up his own little finger, wearing an identical one. 

Wonwoo breaks into a wide grin. He wonders how long Soonyoung had the couple rings prepared, just for this exact time.. 

Soonyoung wipes the joyful tears away from Wonwoo's eyes; gentle with his glasses. “Let’s be happy together, Wonwoo."

"Forever?"

"Always." Soonyoung drags Wonwoo into a long, tender embrace. It's warm and cuddly, just as Wonwoo remembers, and he pulls away to meet Soonyoung's happy, smiling face. His gaze flicks down to Soonyoung's lips, wondering what they'd taste like this time… 

Surely he can kiss his own boyfriend, right? 

He leans in closer; close enough that he can lean his forehead against Soonyoung's. 

"It's been three hundred and sixty five days since I kissed you." Wonwoo mumbles. 

Soonyoung laughs at how ridiculously cheesy Wonwoo is, but he likes it. "Shut up and kiss me, then." 

Their lips meet for the first time since forever, opening a new door of opportunities for both of them - finally getting things right. 

It’s almost the same as last year - the fluttery feeling of a first kiss, yet it’s a bit different: it feels like coming home. Maybe some things never really change, and it reassures Wonwoo that they’ll both be okay. 

He’s going to hold on tight to Soonyoung, and he’s never going to let him go. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> boogyu: unresolved? yes. ;)  
> had fun doing this, even though progress stopped for a bit hmmm. also it's way much longer that i thought it would be.  
> happy lunar new year lmao xmas is over  
> leave me some love if u got the frozen references. yes i am going through a frozen phase. yes i listen to the soundtrack daily - it helps me focus hahahaha
> 
> anyway thanks for reading if you've gotten this far <3

**Author's Note:**

> y'all kno the drill. if u found this fun (or not fun) pls do leave a kudos or a comment bc i thrive off those huhu thankies and have a wonderful holiday!  
> this is prob the last thing i'll write this year (and decade hhhhhhhh) 
> 
> welcoming in the swingin' 20s. let's all have a good time.


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